All Was Well
by Moonix
Summary: Follow Albus Potter, Rose Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy and other children of the Harry Potter generation through their years at Hogwarts. Various pairings  het and slash , eventual Albus/Scorpius. Picks up after the epilogue in DH.
1. Chapter 1: Nimbus

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Chapter Summary: **The sorting hat had sat on the heads of a long line of Potters, and this one wasn't the first who would do well in Slytherin house...**  
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**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 1: Nimbus<span>

A cat was trying to wriggle past Albus Potter's legs. The boy bent down, picked it up gently and carried it into the train compartment he shared with Rose Weasley and a few other first years. Seemingly content, the cat settled down on his lap and began to purr.

"So, which house do you think you'll be sorted in?" one of the boys asked. "Albus, do you reckon you'll be sorted into Gryffindor, like your dad?"

"I hope I'll make it into Ravenclaw!"

"I don't care, as long as it's not Slytherin."

"Albus?"

Albus looked up from the sleeping cat in his lap. He'd been considering this question ever since he had got on the train after talking to his father, and he still hadn't reached a conclusion. Without knowing what to say, he opened his mouth to reply. He was spared the answer, however, when the door to the compartment slid open and a tall, tousle-haired third year dropped on the seat beside him.

"Hey there, little brother," James Potter said and ruffled his hair. Albus batted his hand away.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just checking on you," James said. He was eyeing the pile of sweets they had hoarded from the food trolley earlier. "Don't want you getting involved with the wrong people, after all."

The other first years had fallen silent, slightly in awe at having Harry Potter's first son in their compartment. Now they were exchanging nervous glances, but James simply laughed and assured them that they were all fine.

"I found Nott and Zabini at the front of the train," he explained. "Bet they're already discussing how they can get away with hexing you all at the first opportunity."

The first years looked a little intimidated at this, and James leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, better look out for those two. They sure as hell will be sorted into Slytherin, just like the Malfoy brat. My uncle Ron told me all about them."

Albus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. For as long as he could remember, his older brother had enjoyed scaring his younger siblings and cousins with gruesome stories about magical creatures, Death Eaters and the ghosts and teachers of Hogwarts. One of the boys, who had introduced himself as Livius Bobbin, proudly telling everyone who listened that his family owned a chain of apothecaries in Diagon Alley, leaned forward.

"Ron? You mean Ronald Weasley, right?"

James nodded, clearly enjoying the attention.

"What's he like, you know, in real life? Rita Skeeter wrote in her recent book that..."

"Rita Skeeter can go bugger herself," James interrupted. "Uncle Ron is the best. Right, Albus?"

Albus shrugged and nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable. The other first years proceeded to bombard James with questions about their family, but every time Albus tried to join in the conversation, James seemed to remember an even better story. He shared a look with Rose, who was trying to read _Hogwarts, A History,_ when James finally stood up.

"Well, I have to get back to my compartment," he said and smiled at the disappointed faces surrounding him. "Don't worry, I'll leave Albus with you. I'm sure he can tell you about the time uncle George almost blew up our house."

Grabbing another handful of liquorice wands, he disappeared down the corridor, leaving Albus with three expectant faces turned toward him.

"Uhh, I don't remember that one," he lied. The cat chose this moment to get up, stretch and jump down from his lap, sliding outside through the gap in the door just before it closed. Albus decided that a little walk was in order and got to his feet as well.

"Anyone want more sweets?" he offered, eyeing their greatly depleted stock. The others placed their orders with him, then went back to discussing the sorting, the teachers and what subjects awaited them at Hogwarts.

At the food trolley, Albus saw a blonde boy he recognized from the platform. He was stiffly ordering a bag of lemon drops, counting out the exact amount of coins in his hand. Albus sidled over to him, pretending to examine the cauldron cakes, which came in a variety of new flavours this year (pumpkin, honey and spice, toffee, and blueberry vanilla).

"Hi," he said.

"Hello," the boy replied, a little wary.

"I'm Albus Potter. And _you're_ Scorpius Malfoy. I saw your dad on the platform. You probably saw my dad, too, he's kinda hard to miss, actually!"

Albus smiled conspiratorially and stuck out his hand, waiting for the other to shake it. Scorpius looked at it for a moment before he took it with a firm grip. His hand felt cool and soft. Satisfied, Albus turned to the trolley and reeled off his companions' requests, handing over a few Sickles and telling the lady to keep the change. With a wink, she placed an extra box of chocolate frogs on top of his stack, and Albus flashed her a radiant smile. He noticed that Scorpius was watching him intently.

"Well, I have to get back to my compartment. See you at the sorting, I guess!"

Waving cheerily and cradling the pile of sweets in his other arm, Albus started to walk back down the corridor, when the other boy called after him.

"Your father... he's Harry Potter, right?"

Albus turned around.

"Yep," he said, grinning. "He used to get in fights with your dad all the time when they were still at school, did you know that? I saw you before we got on the train and I thought maybe I should say hi, you know, so the same thing doesn't happen to us. Imagine their faces when we visit each other over the holidays!"

The image popped right into his head, and he had to snicker. One of the chocolate frogs twitched in its package and he had to stuff it back onto the pile before it toppled to the ground. When he looked up again, Scorpius was staring at him, looking shaken.

"When we... what?"

"Well... that's what friends do, isn't it? Visit each other over the hols. No?"

Albus was worried now, wondering if he'd said the wrong thing. The other boy swallowed.

"Oh... yes, I suppose," he said meekly. Albus smiled in relief.

"Right then. See you around, Scorpius Malfoy. Perhaps we'll be sorted into the same house, eh? Anyway, good luck, I mean, with the sorting. I'm really looking forward to the feast!" He closed his eyes dreamily for a second, remembering the raving accounts of his brother.

"Well, I really gotta get going. Bye!"

He gestured in the direction of his compartment and tried to look a little exasperated, as if his hordes of friends were just now tapping their feet and waiting for Albus to rejoin them, when in fact he was sure that they had already forgotten all about him. Then he smiled at Scorpius one last time, turned around and had to remind himself to walk calmly down the corridor instead of skipping with joy and excitement.

Despite uncle Ron's words at the platform, and James' dire warnings, Albus had just made a friend, and it was exactly the person he had vowed to seek out the moment he had first heard his parents talk about him.

It was Scorpius Malfoy.

* * *

><p>Scorpius looked after the retreating form of Albus Potter and doubted that they would ever end up in the same house.<p>

While he, too, had spent many a night trying to imagine all the amazing new friends he would surely make at Hogwarts, in reality he had yet to utter a single word to any of the students in his compartment. He found it ironic that the first person to acknowledge him would, of all things, be a Potter. In fact, he had expected the other to most likely hate his guts, after what he knew of the history between their families.

Shaking his head, he considered giving up on his endeavor to get to know some the other first years and joining Oscar and August in their compartment after all, but then he had an idea. He went back to the food trolley.

"I want what he bought," he said, "please." Tipping the vendor generously, he piled sweets into his arms until they were threatening to tumble to the floor. Thankfully, he realized, no one but the woman at the trolley had even witnessed his strange encounter with the Potter, and Scorpius could always deny it had happened in the first place. Provided, of course, that Albus would even deign to remember it.

A depressing thought came to him. What if the whole thing had just been a joke? Possibly, the other boy was just now telling his many friends about how ridiculous and gullible Scorpius Malfoy was. But then he had seemed so sincere...

Well, he thought grimly, if it really had been just a prank, then Albus could be in for Slytherin after all.

With a soft groan, he turned around and walked back to his compartment, determined to share his sweets with everyone. _If you can't make friends_, his father had told him at the station, _buy them. _He had shoved a few extra golden coins in Scorpius' hands and winked. Now, his pockets considerably lighter, Scorpius began to feel a little more confident. He shoved open the door with his elbow and cleared his throat.

"Anyone hungry?"

* * *

><p>"Malfoy, Scorpius!"<p>

Albus watched closely as the Sorting Hat was placed on Scorpius' head. The boy sat very still, his back rigid, and there was silence for a few moments. Then, when Albus had just noticed that he was holding his breath, the hat shouted out:

"Slytherin!"

There was a smatter of applause from the Slytherin table and a handful of jeers from the others. Albus saw his brother exchange high-fives with the other third year boys at the Gryffindor table.

Almost gently, Scorpius put the hat down, his face betraying no emotion. Albus felt a tiny sting of disappointment. He hadn't seemed so bad back on the train...

"Malkin, Cillian!"

"Gryffindor!"

Maybe, maybe his brother and uncle Ron were wrong. Maybe Slytherin house wasn't the worst that could happen to him after all. Maybe... it just needed someone who could restore its admittedly tarnished image, someone who would make people see that not only evil dark wizards came out of Slytherin house, but respectable people, people who wanted to do good in the world. It was obvious, now that he thought about it.

"Nott, August!"

"Slytherin!"

They were nearing his name, and Albus tried to focus his reeling mind. What would he ask for when the Sorting Hat was finally placed on his own head?

"Pear, Deborah!"

"Gryffindor!"

He glanced over at his brother again, who was applauding the newcomer at the Gryffindor table. Everyone seemed to welcome the pale girl. When he looked over at the Slytherin table, he only saw gloomy faces staring down at their empty plates and goblets.

"Pinch, Philomena!"

"Ravenclaw!"

Rose, who was standing next to him and clutching his hand in excitement, whispered something that he couldn't understand over the cheers of the Ravenclaws. Before he could ask her, however, his name was called and the applause and friendly chatter in the hall stopped abruptly.

"Potter, Albus!"

He made up his mind.

When he went over to the stool, he saw some of the Gryffindors wave cheerily, among them James, but he did not wave back. Instead, he fixed his gaze on a different table, which was obscured when the hat slipped down over his eyes.

_Um, hi. I want to be in Slytherin, please_, he thought immediately. For a second, it was quiet. He was almost wondering whether what his father had told him was true, or if he was making a fool of himself, talking to an old hat.

_Interesting_.

Silence again, and Albus held his breath.

_You know, you're not the first Potter who would have done well in Slytherin house._

_I know_, Albus thought desperately.

_But you're the first who asks me to sort him there_, the hat continued._ Are you quite sure, young Potter? Not Gryffindor, like your great father? You would be happy in Hufflepuff, too, you know. There is loyalty, kindness... No?_

Albus clenched and unclenched his fists.

_No._

_Well then..._

There was a pause, and then the hat announced his choice to a stunned Great Hall.

* * *

><p>Scorpius accidentally bit down on his tongue so hard that he could taste blood.<p>

Albus Potter, a Slytherin?

He looked up. His new house seemed shocked into silence. Some of the older students were glancing around in confusion, as if expecting it to be some kind of joke at their expense. But nothing happened. Albus Potter stood up, politely handed back the Sorting Hat and walked down to the Slytherin table, his eyes downcast and his jaw set.

Then someone dropped a fork, and all hell broke loose.

"We got a Potter," one of the seventh year girls at his table said in disbelief. "We got a _Potter_."

Albus sat down in one of the empty seats and finally looked up, silently challenging anyone to speak to him. Nobody did.

"Quiet, please!"

The sorting continued. There was still some agitation among the students, and several were huddled together in deep conversation, occasionally shooting glances at the Slytherin table. Scorpius felt uneasy. He hadn't expected this. Actually, he had silently hoped to just be sorted into Ravenclaw, to show people that he was not like his father had been at his age. But then he hadn't really had the heart to disappoint his grandparents. Before he left Malfoy Manor that morning, Narcissa had told him that Slytherin house needed him. That he would help restore its honour, and that with his good behaviour he would make people consider the Malfoy name in a more favourable light again. So he had made his choice, and the Sorting Hat had placed him where he belonged.

Now, however, he had a feeling that whatever he did, all attention would be on the Potter son who had the audacity not to be sorted into Gryffindor house like half his family.

"Vector, Alma!"

"Ravenclaw!"

He sighed and watched the small girl with curly hair take her place at the Ravenclaw table. Noticing that the hall had become silent again, he turned back to the sorting.

"Weasley, Rose!"

Scorpius recognized the girl that had been with Albus when they had entered the Great Hall earlier. He presumed that she was most likely one of the Potter kids' many Weasley cousins. His grandmother had taught him about wizarding ancestry early on, and he remembered studying the Potter line with interest, having grown up with the great story of the Boy-Who-Lived. He couldn't help but be fascinated by it, even if his father used to rant about him quite a lot.

The Weasley girl looked determined and slightly curious, and the hat did not spend a long time on her head before it shouted:

"Ravenclaw!"

Albus did not seem disappointed, he had probably seen this one coming. But he applauded along with the Ravenclaws when Rose took her seat next to Alma Vector. She flashed him a pleased smile, then concentrated on the rest of the sorting. Finally, Scorpius greeted Oscar Zabini at the Slytherin table, and the headmistress got up to welcome the new students and wish them all an enjoyable feast.

Oscar raised an eyebrow at him, and Scorpius shrugged. The two boys had grown up together since their fathers were old friends, and they had often speculated on which house some of the other first years would probably get sorted into, according to their family history. Albus Potter had been an easy one. Originally.

"He's okay," Scorpius muttered, neatly spooning mashed potatoes on his plate. "I met him on the train."

Oscar was examining the boiled carrots.

"I heard he doesn't play Quidditch," he said. "Can you believe that?"

He laughed and shook his head. Scorpius looked over at Albus, who was chewing listlessly on a piece of bread and staring at the Gryffindor table. It was indeed strange that Albus didn't play Quidditch, when both his parents had been such fine players. His mother, Ginevra Potter, had even been a professional for a few years, Scorpius knew, and his brother James had won the Quidditch cup together with the Gryffindor team only last year.

"What's up with Leanne, anyway?" Oscar continued and gestured over to the Gryffindor table with his fork. "I thought she was going to be with us."

Leanne Scrimgeour's father, a distant relative of the former Minister of Magic who had been killed in the war, was also a friend of the Malfoy family. Scorpius and Oscar had sometimes played with her at the social gatherings that Narcissa always organized, and they had all discussed Hogwarts thoroughly on these occasions.

Scorpius took a sip of pumpkin juice and shook his head.

"Maybe she switched places with the Potter boy," he mused, and Oscar laughed again.

"I don't know, but something odd is going on here. What do you think Harry Potter will say if he hears that his son has been sorted into big bad Slytherin house?"

* * *

><p>Everyone was talking about him, but no one seemed very intent on talking to Albus that first night. Even Scorpius, who had regarded him warily when he had joined Slytherin table, was avoiding his eyes now. Two other first year boys were sitting between them, though, and Scorpius was deep in conversation with Oscar Zabini on his other side, so Albus didn't really dare say anything to him, either.<p>

After the first warm, sugary burst of triumph, there had been a sinking feeling in his stomach. His brother James still looked stricken at the hat's choice and various students were whispering and pointing at him from all over the Great Hall. Only the Slytherins appeared to be too shocked to speak much, only exchanging nervous glances over his head.

He tried to repeat to himself what his father had told him on the platform this morning, but when he thought about the letter he would have to write to his parents the next day, he was truly beginning to doubt whether this had been a good idea.

Dejected, he had barely registered the rest of the sorting, only looking up when Oscar Zabini slid onto the seat beside Scorpius. The boy had scrutinized Albus with narrowed eyes, then turned to Scorpius, who was supposed to be _his_ new friend, and roped him into a conversation.

Albus tried to at least be enthusiastic about dinner, but then a plate of whole, pan-fried trout appeared directly in front of him, the glossy eyes staring dumbly at his fingers on the table, and what had remained of his appetite swiftly vanished. Dead things made him nauseous.

Picking at a small helping of scalloped potatoes and green beans, he mulled over his choice to be sorted into Slytherin. His hands were shredding a piece of bread and he gulped down two goblets of pumpkin juice until it was finally time for dessert. Two reluctant bites of apple later, he still had to sit through a short speech of the headmistress. It was obviously meant to be encouraging, but her pleasant voice only reminded him that he could be sitting with James and his friends now, listening to the words with a full belly and a warm feeling in his stomach. For once, his brother could have been proud of him, but then Albus had to go and ruin everything again.

He avoided looking at James and rushed after the prefect that was showing the first years the way to their common room. On the way downstairs, Albus was fighting tears, but then Scorpius' elbow bumped gently into his and he saw a reassuring smile ghost across the other boy's face.

Maybe things weren't looking so bad after all.

* * *

><p>Albus woke up to the sound of a lumpy yellow fish bumping against the window the next morning.<p>

It didn't take long for him to remember where he was. Slowly, he sat up, rubbing his eyes, and let his feet slide onto the cold floor. The curtains on the other beds were pulled back, but he could hear someone in the bathroom. Silently, he went over to the window and watched the yellow fish swim away. He noticed that he was breathing fresh, slightly damp air - _They must have air-freshening charms down here_, he thought.

After the somewhat eerie, greenish glow of the Slytherin common room, he had been pleased to find that the dormitories were actually much brighter. Apparently, they were much closer to the surface of the lake than the common room. Albus was quite sure that the length of the stairs they had climbed yesterday did not correspond to the depth of the lake at all, but his father had already told him that such things worked a bit differently in Hogwarts.

Anyway, he was glad for the fresh air and the reflections of the light that danced on the walls.

"Morning..."

He turned around to see Scorpius standing in the doorway to the bathroom. He was already fully dressed in his school robes and looked quite awake, contrary to Albus, who was just contemplating skipping his first class and going back to sleep.

"Hi," Albus muttered. He wasn't used to waking up this early. If nobody roused him, he usually slept until noon. He would have liked to go for a swim in the lake to clear his head, but he had a feeling he was late already, and the symbol on the silver weather plate that hung next to the door had shifted from cloud-obscured moon to thunderstorm.

"You should get ready," Scorpius told him. "The others have gone down to breakfast already."

Albus raised an eyebrow. His stomach was growling loudly at the mention of breakfast, and he regretted not eating the night before.

"Did you wait for me?"

Scorpius cheeks reddened a little, and he mumbled something about just brushing his teeth. Albus smiled. Right. He had a mission, and after his miserable performance yesterday, he better start now.

"Go on, I'll be downstairs in a minute," he said and bent down to retrieve some clothes from his suitcase. His snowy owl, affectionately called Meringue by Albus for her brilliant white plumage, had disappeared the night before to go hunting, so he put a few owl treats in his bag in case she showed up for breakfast. Then he got dressed, splashed some water in his face, brushed his teeth and hurried downstairs, shoving books in his school bag. He was an expert at getting ready in the last minute.

"Let's go," he said breathlessly and hurried past a bemused looking Scorpius. "I'm starving!"

When they reached the Great Hall, heads still turned in his direction. Albus sought out his brother, gave him a grin and a quick thumbs-up and ignored the hissed "I already told dad, he won't be happy" as he went past the Gryffindor table. By the time they had reached their fellow Slytherins, owls began swooping in on the students. With apprehension, Albus scanned the birds for Meringue. He wasn't feeling so confident anymore. What if his father hadn't really meant what he'd said, about being okay with Albus being sorted into Slytherin? What if James was right?

"Morning," he said as he sat down, a little less cheerfully than he'd planned to. Before their dorm mates could reply, a letter dropped beside the steaming bowl of porrigde in front of Albus, and another, narrowly missing the flask of juice next to it. He had just picked up the first, which was from his father, when another two found their way into his lap. Four owls were perched around his seat now, blinking expectantly at him, and Albus fed them bread crumbs.

"You're popular," Scorpius observed, eyeing the letters with curiosity.

Albus shrugged. "Big family," he said. When the owls had eaten their fill, he tried to ignore the letters in his lap for a little longer, but his dorm mates were still watching him and he decided he should probably just get it over with.

The letter from his father was fairly brief, telling him that Harry was proud that his son had obviously faced his fears, and that his mother and he still loved him no matter what James said. Breathing a sigh of relief, Albus opened the remaining letters with less of a knot in his stomach.

The second letter was from aunt Hermione, who told him to ignore anyone who didn't accept the outcome of his sorting, and that she was confident he would do well and turn Slytherin into a respectable house again. Albus had a feeling she was talking about uncle Ron, but she might have referred to James as well.

The third and fourth were no less encouraging. One was a kind note from Ted, and the other contained a small silver pendant in the form of a dragon - Albus thought he recognized the snout of a Green Cobra, and smiled - and a slip of paper saying "Heads up, little bunny. Mum". Albus blushed when Scorpius leaned over to read it and quickly stuffed it in his bag together with the other letters. However, he kept the dragon in his palm, where the cool, shiny metal seemed to dry the sheen of sweat that had formed there. He even thought he could feel a light calming charm wrought into the metal. It must have been expensive.

Looking up at his brother, who was watching him intently, he grinned. Then he proceeded to eat two helpings of porridge, three slices of cinnamon toast, ten strawberries, one and a half pancakes with a generous helping of maple syrup and a banana.

"Phew," he said and leaned back in his chair. He noticed that his dorm mates were gaping at him, some of them still chewing on their first piece of toast.

"What?" he said. "I was hungry!"

They shrugged, amused, and went back to their own breakfasts just as the timetables arrived.

* * *

><p>At the end of the first day, Albus had already found out a lot of things. He knew, for instance, that he was completely hopeless at Potions, but that Transfiguration and Charms promised to be very interesting. He had always looked forward to Transfiguration anyway, ever since he had learned that his grandfather had been an unregistered Animagus.<p>

He had also found out that Scorpius had kind of wanted to be in Ravenclaw, that August Nott didn't know who his mother was and that Edward Higgs' father owned a Muggle laptop. Oscar Zabini claimed to have kissed three girls already, but Albus wasn't sure if he actually believed that, and when he helped one of the Slytherin girls in Herbology, he was told that her mother worked with aunt Hermione at the Ministry and always spoke very highly of her. That was the moment when the other students finally dared ask him about his father, until Neville took pity on him and distracted them by showing them his old DA coin.

All in all, Albus thought, his first day as a Slytherin could have gone worse.

He was still clutching the dragon pendant that his mother had sent him by the time he made his way down to Hagrid's hut that evening. He had met the friendly gamekeeper a few times before and had always admired his massive physique, until Ginny had told him that it was impossible for a human to grow that tall, because Hagrid was half-giant. Albus had still liked Hagrid, for that smell of fresh air and animal fur that lingered around him, the booming laugh, and for letting Albus and Lily ride on his broad shoulders for hours.

Hagrid was very pleased to see him. He made him sit down at the oversized table, placed a large mug of tea in front of him and asked him about his classes. Then he told him stories about his dad, aunt and uncle until his eyes were streaming from laughter ("Ugh! If my wand ever breaks, I'll make sure to get a new one, I don't want to vomit slugs!") and then some more about his grandparents. Albus loved to hear about how his grandmother had slowly fallen in love with his grandfather over time, and he sighed at the dramatic twist of Severus Snape's unrequited feelings for Lily, even though he had heard the story many times before.

Soon enough, however, the tears of laughter turned into tears of sadness, and Albus had to hide his face in Hagrid's voluminous beard. His homesickness had finally caught up with him and he wished he could crawl onto his father's lap and once again inhale the familiar scent of the soft leather that his Auror cloak was made of.

After a second mug of tea, a few uplifting words and a big chunk of chocolate, Albus was ready to go back up to the castle. He hugged Hagrid good-bye in the entrance hall and descended the stairs to the Slytherin common room, hoping that the dim light would hide his puffy red eyes.

The common room was still pretty crowded. The walls and ceiling were alight with the moving reflections of the last rays of sunlight in the water outside, and he quickly walked past Edward's and August's chess contest to climb up the stairs to the dormitories.

It had been a long day.


	2. Chapter 2: Fire And Smoke

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Chapter Summary: **Scorpius observes, Albus has a plan, and Rose has had enough. (Mentions of unrequited Rose/Scorpius from now on.)**  
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**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2: Fire And Smoke<span>

James started speaking to Albus again some time in the second week of term. Albus celebrated this by eating four slices of treacle tart for dessert that evening, which resulted in a bout of stomach cramps that lasted all through the night and miraculously vanished after double Potions the next day. When Albus rejoined his classmates for Transfiguration, looking decidedly more well-rested than a person who'd been in pain for the better part of the night should, Scorpius passed him his Potions notes only grudgingly.

"Shouldn't you be a little more careful?" he asked as Albus stuffed himself with pumpkin stew and rice for lunch. Albus swallowed a mouthful of juice and shrugged.

"I'm fine, I just needed some rest," he said.

Scorpius hid his smile by coughing into his goblet. Even after nearly two weeks, he was still amazed by how casual Albus treated things like skipping classes, or being the first Potter to be sorted into Slytherin house in what must be generations. While Scorpius sometimes noticed him looking over at the Gryffindor table rather longingly, the younger boy had never so much as mentioned that he was struggling with the hat's choice.

"Albus, can I ask you something?"

"Obviously," Albus said, picking out a sprig of parsley from his stew with a frown. Then he looked up at Scorpius and smiled. "I mean, you just have."

"I've never seen you touch any of the meat dishes," Scorpius said quietly. He wasn't sure whether it was rude to point this out, but he'd been wondering about this since the start of term feast. "Or any of the fish, for that matter. Why is that?" He himself had just filled his plate with a second helping of shepherd's pie, and he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

"I don't eat it," Albus replied simply, finishing up his pumpkin stew and saving the raisins for last. "I stopped when I was six or seven, I think. Aunt Hermione took us to this farm to look at the animals and stuff, and I saw how they killed a chicken, cut its head right off, you see, and the body just wouldn't stop moving. I couldn't do it after that."

Scorpius looked down at his half-finished shepherd's pie and discreetly pushed away his plate. He didn't particularly feel like eating anymore now, and he was also contemplating whether it upset Albus that people around him were piling their plates high with roast chicken and pork chops.

"It's okay," Albus said, eyeing his plate. "I have a big family, remember? I'm used to it. And I can handle dead animals, I just don't want to eat them. That reminds me, have you finished your Defence homework?"

Relieved that they were talking about something else now, Scorpius nodded and bent down to retrieve his essay on manticores from his bag. He watched as Albus hastily scribbled out a few more paragraphs on his own, then they packed up their things and left for the next class.

Being friends with Albus Potter was, as Scorpius had discovered, surprisingly easy.

People were still shooting him dark looks whenever they passed - out of envy that Albus had chosen to be friends with a Malfoy when he had the better part of Hogwarts to choose from, Scorpius suspected. Indeed, Albus was often snatched away by a gaggle of admirers, one of his many relatives or even people he seemed to know well from before Hogwarts. But other than that, Albus still seemed intent on spending time with Scorpius, a fact which never ceased to puzzle him.

So far, they had spent most of their evenings cooped up in the Slytherin common room, studying or working on their essays together. On the weekend, Albus had barely been around, presumably visiting his many friends all over Hogwarts. Scorpius was fine with that, though, after all, he needed time to study and read for himself. And while it was fun to do homework together with Albus, who often made him laugh by telling dirty jokes he'd snatched up from one of his cousins, singing random songs while flipping through a book or doing an impression of one of their teachers, it was also very distracting. It was especially tedious to work in the library, as people kept approaching Albus to chat with him or sent small notes zooming over to their table.

All in all, Scorpius found the Potter boy easy to be around, and he had to remind himself to concentrate on his school work on a regular basis, willing himself not to get side-tracked by Albus' constant commentary on everything, or yet another one of his "great ideas", as he called them (the first of which had ended with Albus stuck inside one of the suits of armour until Scorpius could get one of the older students to help).

Before he'd started at Hogwarts, Scorpius had sworn to himself that he would not disappoint his father this time. It was hard to coax a genuine smile out of Draco Malfoy these days, and so he was dedicated to be the best student in his year. Whenever Albus was not around, he spent every free minute poring over books and practicing spells, only stopping when August and Oscar dragged him down to dinner or persuaded him to play a game of chess with them.

"Did you hear?" Oscar asked them during one of those occasions, when Scorpius was just about to smash August's queen. "Some of the older students are petitioning for a Yule ball to be held this year."

"I thought they only did that on special occasions," August said, frowning as his queen limped off the board. "Like when there's an inter-school tournament or a big anniversary or something."

Oscar shrugged. He was staring at a group of first-year girls huddled around one of the fireplaces.

"Sylvia Borage, why won't you go out with me?" he sighed, absent-mindedly, then turned back to Scorpius and August. "Well, even if they succeed with the petition, we still wouldn't be allowed to go. The Yule ball is traditionally only for the fourth through seventh years, unless someone older asks you to go with them."

"Fat chance," Scorpius replied. "And check-mate."

August groaned.

"It's not fair, you play all the time with your father. Have you got a letter from him yet, Scorpius? He must be pleased that you were sorted into Slytherin."

Scorpius didn't really know what to say to that, but he was spared the response when the hatchway that was the entrance to the Slytherin common room opened and a dishevelled looking Albus climbed down the ladder, pressing one sleeve to his bleeding nose. Some students gasped at the sight, but when they rushed to help him, Albus only brushed them off. Finally, he had fought his way over to where Scorpius and the others were sitting and dropped into an armchair.

"Had a fight with James," he muttered through his blood-soaked sleeve, a mixture of pride and sorrow in his voice. "He wanted me to stop hanging around with you guys, but I told him I could pick my own friends, thank you very much."

The Slytherins were staring at him with something akin to admiration. Most of the older ones knew not to mess with James Potter, who, despite being only a third year, knew more jinxes and spells than even some of the seventh years. Scorpius suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Here, let me fix that," he mumbled, turned Albus around gently so that he was facing him and examined his nose. It didn't seem to be broken, so he cast a quick spell to staunch the blood and another to clean him up. He wouldn't have been able to do anything more, anyways, but Albus looked as good as new already.

"Wow, thanks," he said, feeling his nose.

"What spell did he hit you with?" asked August. He had just finished packing up the chess pieces, which were abusing him with tiny voices for losing to Scorpius.

"Spell?" Albus laughed. "My brother doesn't hit me with any spells. No, he punched me. But I don't think he really meant it, or I'd be in the hospital wing right now with my head split open."

"What?"

At the gaping faces around him, Albus started to look a little apprehensive. He tried a reassuring smile and failed.

"I was just kidding... It's no big deal, really... Merlin, you guys wouldn't put anything past my brother, would you? He's actually a really nice chap, you know." Most of the Slytherins that were gathered around their table were clearly not convinced by this, but they at least seemed to decide that Albus was fine and didn't need to be carted off to the hospital wing or the headmistress, and so started to disperse. Albus stretched.

"I could do with some chocolate," he mused, glancing hopefully at his companions. Scorpius pulled his last chocolate frog out of his bag and handed it to him. Albus groaned with gratitude when he saw it, quickly unwrapping it and biting off a big chunk.

"You're the best, Scorp," he sighed. August and Oscar snickered.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just, _Scorp_ here really dislikes nicknames," Oscar grinned.

"Yeah, _Scorp_ really isn't too fond of them," August piped in. Scorpius whacked him over the head with _Quidditch Through The Ages_, regretting that he hadn't taken _Hogwarts, A History_ with him instead. Albus smiled and stood up.

"Sorry, Scorp... ius," he said, stretching again. "I'm going to bed now, I'm really tired, alright?"

Scorpius watched him walk up the staircase to the dormitories and couldn't help noticing that Albus didn't look tired.

He looked sad.

* * *

><p>Albus flopped down on his bed. James' words were still ringing in his ears, all the mean things he'd said, and his nose felt sore despite Scorpius' expert spellwork. It wasn't fair that James still insisted on knowing what was best for him, he wasn't a child anymore, after all. And besides, Scorpius and the others had been nothing but nice to him so far. He couldn't just turn his back on them now, and he didn't want to, either.<p>

He sighed and turned around, staring morosely out of the window. The water was murky and dark today, a result of the incessant rain. Albus tried to tell himself that everything would be back to normal again tomorrow, like always when he had a fight with his older brother. James' temper was quick to rise, but also quick to abate. And while he rarely ever apologized for anything he said or did, he also never held a grudge.

Tugging a piece of parchment, his quill and inkpot out of his bag, Albus sank back down onto his bed and began to write.

_Dear dad, _he wrote, then stopped. Should he really go running to his dad every time he had trouble with James? He was at Hogwarts now, he should be able to deal with his own problems. His father, after all, had handled much worse things at his age. And what was having a minor quarrel with your brother compared to facing down Voldemort?

He crumpled up the parchment, but before it had even hit the floor, he had procured another sheet and started over.

After a series of failed attempts, Albus gave up. He cleared away the crumpled parchment littering the floor, got ready for bed and closed the hangings of his fourposter around him. When Scorpius entered the dormitory a while later, he did his best impression of a fast asleep Albus, breathing deeply and not daring to move until he heard the bathroom door close.

The next morning, another unpleasant surprise awaited him.

He had just reached for the platter of scrambled eggs and complimented Esther Goldstein on her earrings when Gaspard, their Head of House, approached the table to hand out notes to the first years. Their first flying lessons were to take place on Monday afternoon, together with the Ravenclaws. That meant that at least Rose would be there when he made a fool of himself in front of his classmates, but he wasn't quite sure whether he found this comforting or not, seeing as Rose was already an expert flyer.

"Flying lessons!" said Timothy Holborn excited, sliding into the seat next to Albus'. "Finally!"

"Not that you two need it," August interjected, pointing his fork at Albus and Scorpius. Scorpius smiled politely at the compliment, but Albus only frowned harder at his cooling eggs. He noticed that a small dish filled with sizzling hot tofu sausages had appeared at his elbow, which cheered him up a little. He would have to remember to thank Kreacher and the other house-elves later. Good thing uncle Ron had told him how to get into the kitchen.

"Are you going to try out for the House team next year, Scorpius?"

"Yes, I suppose... but it'll be difficult getting on the team when I'm only in second year, and the seeker position won't be open until the year after that, which is what I'm best at," Scorpius replied. Albus had rarely seen him so enthusiastic about anything, and he groaned inwardly. It seemed that he was doomed to spend his life surrounded by Quidditch fanatics.

"What about you, Albus? Which position do you play?"

They all turned to him, and Albus quickly stuffed scrambled eggs and sausage into his mouth to delay his answer. Oscar beat him to it, however.

"Albus doesn't play Quidditch," he said slowly, slathering his yeast bun with butter and honey. "Right, Albus?"

Flushing, Albus ducked his head and pushed his chair away from the table.

"I'm going down to Herbology, anyone coming?" he said, grabbing a roll from the table and setting off before they could respond. He was halfway down the entrance hall when Scorpius caught up with him. To his surprise, though, Scorpius didn't pry; he just walked by his side in silence until they had reached the greenhouses.

"Want to compare the results to Longbottom's test quiz before class starts?" Scorpius asked, and Albus nodded, relieved.

He would just have to think of a way to skip flying lessons on Monday, and then hopefully people would stop pestering him, at least until Quidditch tryouts next year. And that was still far, far away.

* * *

><p>Albus did, indeed, find a way to avoid having to take part in flying lessons by Monday. It involved a long swim in the lake despite the incessant rain, running around in a t-shirt all day after that and taking one of uncle George's fever fudges, which were, of course, strictly forbidden at Hogwarts by now.<p>

Really, in retrospect, Rose should have known it.

When she kicked off the damp ground on Monday afternoon, barely bothering to hold onto her broomstick, she couldn't help being annoyed with Albus for always managing to wriggle out of everything that was unpleasant for him. After all, normal people, like her, who weren't lucky enough to carry the surname Potter, still had to struggle with plants that made their skin itchy and raw in Herbology, or breathe in the foul-smelling fumes of a fertilizer potion in a dungeon room without windows, or tell the other first-year boys off for throwing dungbombs up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

The sun began to peek out from behind the clouds. Rose hovered above most of the other first-year Ravenclaws and Slytherins, who were still trying to get their brooms to leave the ground. Opposite her, she could see Scorpius Malfoy survey the scene below him as well. Their eyes met briefly, and Rose felt an odd sensation in her chest, immediately checking whether she was losing height, but she was still level with the Malfoy.

Next to her, Elizabeth Baker, a Muggleborn, was rising slowly into the air, looking as startled by this as some of her classmates. Considering this was probably her first time on a broom, however, she seemed relatively at ease. Rose nodded to her with a smile. Elizabeth had strong, tanned arms, and Rose made a mental note that she might make a decent Beater one day. She hadn't been training all summer with her cousins for nothing, after all, even if she would not be able to try out for the Ravenclaw team for yet another year.

As soon as she was back on the ground, Rose went over to Scorpius.

"I need to talk to Albus," she said, taking his broom and handing it over to the professor together with hers. Scorpius looked at her for a long moment, then nodded.

"He was supposed to get back from the hospital wing this afternoon," he said. "I can tell him to come by Ravenclaw tower if he's feeling better."

"No, it's fine, I'll just come with you," Rose said in her no-nonsense voice. If she had to wait for Albus to come by and talk to her, she would never get a chance to speak with him about this. Scorpius seemed a little unsure, but probably decided he was too polite to refuse, and so they walked back up to the castle together and she followed him down to the dungeons.

"Loch Ness," Scorpius said once they had stopped seemingly at random in the middle of a corridor. A circle appeared in the stone floor at their feet, then opened into the ground with the creaking of metal, and Rose saw the iron rungs of a broad ladder leading down into what must be the Slytherin common room.

"Neat," she said. "I thought Slytherin had a portrait like Gryffindor?"

"They change it sometimes," Scorpius said. "I think the portrait got destroyed during the battle of Hogwarts. Don't tell anyone you know the password, though."

Rose followed him down into the common room. They received a few wary looks, and Oscar Zabini, who had arrived before them, winked at Scorpius when he saw that he was with a girl. She thought she saw him mouth "lady killer" as they passed. Normally, she would have stepped hard on his toes for that, but for some reason, she could only feel her face heat up. What was _wrong _with her?

Scorpius ignored his friend and led Rose up a flight of stairs to the dormitory. When they entered, Albus was propped up in bed, a scarf wrapped around his throat and a book lying open in his lap. At least he was doing homework, Rose thought.

"Hullo, Rosie," Albus said, smiling and closing his book. She could see now that it was a very battered copy of _Magic Beasts And Where To Find Them_, which was one of the few books Albus actually cared to open aside from school books. Not homework, then. She scowled.

"Albus Severus Potter," she began.

"Don't say that name, please," Albus whined.

Rose shot him a grim look, then walked over to his bed and stuck her hand underneath his pillow. Albus squawked in protest. Pulling out the bright purple wrapper of the fever fudge, she quickly brought herself out of reach of his flailing arms.

"Knew it," she said and tossed the wrapper away. "You coward. I knew the hat stuck you in Slytherin for a reason - no offence, Scorpius."

"None taken," came from the direction of Scorpius' bed, where a slightly uncomfortable looking Scorpius sat with his hands in his lap. Rose sighed and turned to Albus.

"Got anything to say for yourself or should I just write to your mum and dad right away?"

Albus glowered at her, arms wrapped around his knees. Whether he looked flushed from anger or from the remnants of the fever, she couldn't say. His book slipped out of his grasp and landed on the floor with a soft thud, but before he could retrieve it, Rose had already snatched it up.

"Well?"

Albus muttered something.

"What was that, Albus Severus?" Rose said loudly, starting to enjoy herself. She was flicking through his book idly as she waited for his answer.

"You know why I did it," Albus repeated. "And give me that book."

Rose shrugged. She was about to close it when something fell out from between the pages. Albus dived, but Quidditch reflexes came in handy sometimes, and Rose was quicker again, holding the piece of parchment out of his reach.

"_Dear Albus,_" she read, "_I know you like chocolate frogs, so I sent you this box to cheer you up. Get well soon, your secret admirer._"

Rose had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, and she could see that even Scorpius was trying not to grin.

"Interesting. Maybe if you didn't spend so much time reading notes from your secret admirers and eating chocolate frogs, you would at least _pretend_ that you're not just getting through this school because you're Harry Potter's son."

That certainly hit home. Albus' face flushed an even deeper shade of red and the edge of his blanket was beginning to smoke. Rose put the note back between the pages of the book and threw it onto the bed. Before she left the room, she grabbed the jug of water from Albus' night table and poured it out over the smoking corner of his blanket.

Over the hiss of the extinguished blanket, she could swear she heard Albus say something very rude, but she decided to ignore this and went back down the stairs to the Slytherin common room. Oscar Zabini's stare followed her all the way across to the ladder, and she was relieved when she finally closed the round trapdoor behind her.

She almost felt sorry for Albus, but somebody had to tell him at some point, and she'd rather he heard it from her than anyone else.


	3. Chapter 3: Old And New

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

**Chapter Summary: **Albus is getting along great with his new friends, but some people still can't quite get over the hat's choice for their newest Potter celebrity. Note - I'm very aware that boys that age usually don't eat such exotic food, but bear with me please? ^^**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3: Old And New<span>

_Dear Albus,_

_mum didnt want me to tell you, but one of the cats died yesterday. She was trying to give__ birth and then we found her but she was dead and the babies were too wee to live even __thogh __though we called Luna. I cried a lot but mummy said I shouldn't be sad so please don't be sad Albus. Daddy is in__Grece and its just mummy and me now I think the other cats are afraid but I saw the black one pee in mrs Roberts garden this morning._

_Hugs and kisses,_

_Lily_

Albus blinked at the letter. There was a tight knot in his chest and the air around him felt suddenly heavier. He knew which of the many cats that inhabited their house on Grimmauld Place Lily was talking about. On the morning before he'd left for Hogwarts, he had spent half an hour trying to approach the little tiger cat and feel her belly until James had called him away. Maybe if he hadn't been so distracted, he'd have remembered to tell his mother about it.

Looking up with bleary eyes, Albus noted that Scorpius had received a rather large package this morning. He had come down to breakfast just in time to catch the post, but he was still tired and wished he could just go back to bed instead of facing double Potions. Ever since Rose's visit to his dormitory, however, he wasn't very keen on skipping classes anymore.

"Come on, open it," Oscar was urging Scorpius. "Maybe they sent you a birthday cake and you're supposed to eat it right away."

Wait... birthday cake? Albus' eyes widened. He whirled around, banging his elbow on the table and upsetting cutlery in the process.

"It's your _birthday_ today?" He stared at his friend, who shrugged and busied himself with the package. "_Why_ didn't you tell me? I would've got you something, too!"

"See, that's why I didn't tell you," Scorpius muttered. He pulled a large box of sweets from the parcel that Albus didn't recognize and tossed it at Oscar, who snatched it up eagerly. Albus frowned and leaned over to peer inside the package. There was an expensive bar of Belgian dark chocolate, a leather-bound book titled _A Modern Potioneer's Guide To Magical Elements And Plants_, a light grey silk scarf and a valuable-looking pocket watch in a silver case that might've well been an antique, and that Scorpius stared at for a rather long time.

"Isn't that your father's pocket watch, Scorpius?" said August, who had been examining the potions book with interest. Scorpius nodded, then slipped the watch into his pocket and packed up the rest, telling them he would meet them in Potions later. Albus watched as he disappeared to drop off his presents in the dormitory. Then he rounded on Oscar.

"Why didn't you tell me his birthday was coming up?" he asked desperately. In the Potter household, birthdays were always a special occasion involving piles of presents, parcels and letters from family members and well-wishers across the country, food and fun activities. In fact, Albus could not remember a single birthday in the family that had not been celebrated like this, and there were lots of birthdays when you had so many cousins.

"Relax, Albus. Scorpius doesn't want people to make a fuss over his birthday. He was probably scared you would throw him a surprise party or something."

Albus scowled at his tea. He probably would have, if he'd known earlier, and it would've been a bloody good surprise party, too. But seeing as he would be stuck in class all day, there was hardly a chance of organising anything now. Stuffing Lily's letter in his bag, he got up from the table as well.

"I'm going down to Potions," he huffed. On his way out, he passed the Gryffindor table, where he spotted an equally tired-looking James. That, however, didn't seem to keep him from flirting avidly with one of the fourth-year girls. Albus snatched up some of their conversation – James was boasting about how he could get the house-elves to cook anything she wanted for dinner, and suddenly, an idea was forming in Albus' mind. He'd have to thank his brother later…

* * *

><p>That evening, when Scorpius and the others trudged back up to the castle exhausted and splattered with mud from a very strenuous Herbology lesson, Albus quickly scanned the Great Hall and smiled when he saw that nothing looked out of the ordinary, following his friends over to the Slytherin table.<p>

Plates of food appeared before them just as they were sitting down. Scorpius trailed off in mid-conversation and stared. The part of the table where he and Albus sat was, miraculously, piled high with his favourite dishes - there was the spicy and tender lamb stir-fry that was a specialty of the Malfoys' one remaining house-elf, a dish of mushrooms and bok-choi in dark sauce that he had eaten at a Chinese restaurant once, Moroccan tajine dusted with parsley and mint and bowls of steamed rice and lemony couscous studded with almonds.

"Happy birthday."

Albus' quiet voice jerked him out of his stupor and he tore his eyes away from the gleaming bowls. Looking down the Slytherin table, he saw that the rest of the students seemed to be eating normal weekday fare. Before he could even begin to think of anything to say, Albus spoke up again, grinning.

"Don't ask, my family has the most amazing house-elf connections. And since I didn't get the opportunity to throw you the best surprise party in the history of Hogwarts, I thought I'd at least surprise you with this."

Seemingly satisfied with Scorpius' complete loss of words, he started to pile food on his plate. Albus had to admit that he was excited about this as well. At home, he rarely had the opportunity to try the kind of more exotic food that Scorpius appeared to like. He had to smile, though, when he saw a plate of chips drenched in vinegar hiding behind one of the more elaborate dishes.

It was lucky that the house-elves of Hogwarts were always more than happy to do a member of the Potter family a favour.

"You should eat," Albus said, examining a small pot of soup. "What's this? It smells like coconut."

"A... kind of Thai soup," replied Scorpius, who finally seemed to be able to speak again. "With coconut milk, red curry and lime juice... This one's with tofu, I think."

"Wow, you like tofu?"

"Sometimes. Listen, Albus..."

He was interrupted by Albus exclaiming in delight over the soup, something he had never tasted before. Scorpius had to supress a smile as Albus hastily ladled more soup into his bowl. Swallowing a bite of lamb, Scorpius set down his knife and fork and turned around to face his friend.

"Thank you," he said quietly, "this is really..."

"Surprising? Delicious? Awesome? Just like your new best friend Albus Potter?"

Albus gestured at himself with his spoon and they laughed. It was a long time before they left the table, bellies fit to burst. After trying every single dish on offer, Scorpius still had to eat his way through a sumptuous dark chocolate sorbet, a variety of exotic fruit, sticky Japanese rice cakes and ginger snaps so spicy that everyone who tried them soon had tears in their eyes. Their dorm mates had joined them, curious about the food, some of which Oscar and August recognized from dinner parties at the Malfoys'.

When Scorpius finally closed the hangings around his bed and slipped under the covers that night, he barely had time to think that this was possibly the nicest thing anyone outside his family had ever done for him before sleep claimed him.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Lily,<em>

_thanks for telling me about Fiona. Mum is right, don't be sad about it, she's probably in a better place now! Rose tells me that they're expecting new kneazle babies soon. Ask Hugo if you can come round and look at them._

_Hogwarts is great, I can't wait to show you around! James isn't being a dick this week for a change (don't tell mum I said that). He told me to say hi. He's sending you a parcel soon, I'm so envious that he gets to go to Hogsmeade now._

_Love,_

_Albus_

* * *

><p>The rainy September days finally gave way to an unexpectedly peaceful, golden October. Rose spent most of her free time outside, watching the Ravenclaw Quidditch team practice, dropping by Hagrid's together with Albus or taking long strolls around the lake to clear her head from her growing obsession with Scorpius Malfoy.<p>

She had been pleased to be sorted into Ravenclaw. Long before the Sorting Hat had been placed on her head, she had known that Ravenclaw was where she belonged. In class, she had been almost disappointed that they were not given more advanced tasks than the other students, but there was no lack of homework, and browsing through the school library had been incredibly interesting. So much so, in fact, that she sometimes forgot what she had set out looking for in the first place, and so while she was one of the most studious pupils in her class, she was also often behind on homework.

Sometimes she was still a little puzzled by the fact that Albus had been sorted into Slytherin. It wasn't that she couldn't identify the character traits that had landed him there, because she could (wit, ambition, secrecy and a liability to self-preservation). What bugged her was that these were not, as far as she could see, Albus' main characteristics. That was why she had taken to questioning Albus about his sorting every time she got the chance.

"But the hat didn't _say_ why it thought you belong into Slytherin, did it?"

"No, and will you stop pestering me already?"

Rose chewed on the end of her quill and stared at the nearby shelves. She was actually glad that Albus never brought Scorpius along to their study sessions in the library, his presence would only have made her nervous.

"Fine. But if you do think of something..."

"I'll come to you straight away," Albus sighed. "Come on, you promised to help me with Potions. What's the answer to question 13?"

"Well, you'll have to figure that out for yourself, won't you? I can only help you get there."

She took a book from the pile on their table and let it drop in front of her cousin. However much she wanted to go and meet Dominique early to discuss ideas for the upcoming traditional reading night in Ravenclaw tower, she was still determined not to let anyone copy her homework. If he never made an effort to find things out for himself, how was Albus supposed to get any better at Potions? No, she was having none of it.

Albus groaned and buried his head in his arms.

"You sound just like the teachers," he whined. "Scorpius always lets me copy."

"Fine then, go and copy from him, I don't care. But don't come running to me when you fail your exams."

Rose huffed and made to stand up, but Albus latched onto her arm.

"Please stay! I'm lost without you, Rose, you know that!"

Sitting back down, Rose had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. This, she suspected, was another one of Albus' talents that might have played a role in his sorting: be it through cajoling, careful manipulation or bargaining, Albus Potter always got his way in the end.

"Alright, where were we..."

* * *

><p>There was something about James Potter that made people listen to him. Whether he was ranting about school politics, re-enacting a particularly breathtaking scene from the latest Quidditch match he had seen with his father, or simply musing on what would be for dinner that night, he always had a small audience surrounding his table in the Gryffindor common room.<p>

Tonight, the topic was Albus.

"I really don't know what he sees in them," James was telling the group that had gathered around him. "Malfoy's father used to be a Death Eater, and his grandfather was even worse - did you know that he lured my mother into the Chamber of Secrets when she was Albus' age? I just don't trust that boy. It's in the genes. I mean, what are the chances little Scorpius is actually so much different from his dad and granddad, and probably a lot of Malfoys before them? Exactly. Nott is another one of these cases. His grandfather died in Azkaban because of what he did to Muggleborns in his time. And that Zabini boy seems shifty, I caught him trying to sweet-talk Rachel Summers the other day, and that can't be good, everyone knows she's Muggle-born."

James paused there for effect, observing the comprehending nods following his speech. Handing around another bag of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, he continued.

"If you ask me, there's something odd going on here. I know my brother, he's a good guy, really. You've all met him, you know what I'm talking about, right? Well, it's not like him to become best pals with a bunch of shady Slytherin boys over night. Either they've told him some outrageous cock-and-bull story, or..."

He trailed off, leaning forward on the table and looking very serious. Some of the girls in the group covered their mouths with their hands, the boys all exchanged grim looks. James then broke the tension by slumping back in his seat. He sighed dramatically and put his hands up in a placatory way.

"I mean, I really don't want to go around accusing little first-year boys of something I have no proof for," he said with emphasis. "But _something_ has to be done about that Malfoy and his gang."

Satisfied that he had once again managed to capture the full attention of his audience, James got up from the table and wished them all good night. He was so caught up in his own oratory skills that he failed to notice the look that passed between two second-year boys at the very back of the group as he walked past.


	4. Chapter 4: In The Hospital Wing

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

**Chapter Summary: **How James Potter decided that Scorpius Malfoy wasn't such a bad guy, after all.**  
><strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 4: In The Hospital Wing<span>

It was only a harmless trip jinx.

They hadn't anticipated for the Malfoy boy to be blown off his feet like that from the combined force of their spells, and they also hadn't seen the staircase leading down to his left - at least that was what they had told Professor Munroe, their Head of House, after they'd been caught running from the place where Scorpius Malfoy was crying out in pain from a broken leg, and probably a mild concussion on top, according to the medi-wizard. And anyway, they had only done it because of James Potter...

"What?"

Professor Munroe rounded on the two scared-looking boys. Potter's son, ordering an attack on a defenceless first year? A close friend of his own brother's, at that? Unlikely. He was about to decide that they had only made it up when the younger of the two spoke again.

"He said that... that something had to be done about that Malfoy boy and his gang," he explained in a timid voice. "He said that they were messing with his brother's head."

Professor Munroe sat down behind his desk, frowning at his hands. If that were indeed true, he would have to have a word with James Potter, one of his most passionate and talented students in Defence Against The Dark Arts, who he had seen step in many times when a student was treated unfairly by classmates or even teachers. He shook his head. He would probably have to talk to him about this somehow or other.

"Very well. You two will serve detention, starting Wednesday night, in my office," Professor Munroe said in a hoarse, tired voice. "And fifty points from Gryffindor."

They gasped, looking terrified.

"Yes, fifty. You should be glad Mr Malfoy only broke his leg, or else you would be facing expulsion. Now get out, and tell Mr Potter I want to speak with him."

* * *

><p>Albus first heard it from Regina Bonham, who had found out from Erica Boot, who had overheard Livius Bobbin talk to Leanne Scrimgeour, whose parents were old acquaintances of Professor Munroe. When he arrived at the hospital wing a few minutes later, out of breath and expecting the worst, he was almost relieved to see that Scorpius only appeared to have broken his leg. The medi-wizard, Tibius Ulna, had just finished checking Scorpius' head for concussion and was instructing him to chew on a handful of dry leaves to ease the nausea when Albus barged in.<p>

"Is it true what they say? Will he be alright, Mr healer? Regina Bonham said that Erica Boot told her that a group of fifth years pushed him down three flights of steps-"

"Please calm down, Mr Potter. Your friend only fell down one flight of steps, he has just taken a good deal of Skele-Gro and he has a mild concussion, so you might not want to make such a racket."

"Oh."

Tibius Ulna flashed him an appeasing smile, then turned back to Scorpius, who had swallowed the leaves and looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"There, all done. Now all you need to do is rest, Mr Malfoy."

"Thank you," Scorpius muttered. "Can he stay?" he added with a glance at a fidgeting Albus. The healer nodded and started to clear away the leftover gauze and flasks of potion.

"Five minutes, Mr Potter," he said before he disappeared in the adjoining room. Quickly, Albus grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Scorpius' bed. He looked ready to burst, but he was holding back for Scorpius' sake until he had settled down comfortably under the covers.

"I don't believe it was all an accident, like Michelle Gudgeon says," he finally blurted out. Scorpius didn't reply, so he took a deep breath and went on. "I heard from Zorah Shacklebolt that... that apparently James said something in the common room last night, something which could easily be misinterpreted, and that they heard it and decided to hex you, but they didn't really know a lot of spells yet, and so..."

"Albus."

He looked up. Scorpius was rubbing his temples gingerly, and Albus immediately felt guilty. Sighing, Scorpius took two envelopes from his bedside table and handed them to him.

"Professor Munroe made them write apology letters," he explained. "And your brother was already here, shortly before you came. Ulna nearly threw him out, he was so worked up, ranting about how he never meant for anything like that to happen..."

Albus slumped back into his chair, all the excitement and anger draining out of him.

"Oh, okay, I guess. I'm still putting maggots in his food, though."

Scorpius laughed a bit at that, but he was barely able to keep his eyes open anymore. The healer returned and convinced Albus to visit again later, and before Albus closed the door to the hospital wing behind him, Scorpius had already drifted off.

By evening, he was feeling much better already. He even ate a little, soup and bread and a bit of yoghurt, and watched the dusk envelop the landscape outside the windows. Albus came by to see him again after dinner.

"I brought you some stuff," he said and dumped the contents of his bulging schoolbag on Scorpius' bed. There was a copy of Rose's notes from the classes he had missed, her neat handwriting and useful diagrams filling a whole stack of parchment that Albus eyed wistfully - "She never lets _me_ borrow her notes" -, the book Scorpius had got for his birthday and that he hadn't quite finished yet, a few cards from well-wishers (all from girls, Scorpius noted) and another set of pyjamas. Scorpius laughed.

"Merlin, Albus, I'm only here for two nights," he muttered, examining the cards. Albus flushed.

"I know, I just - some girls overheard me telling Rose that I was going down to visit you and that you'd probably want to catch up on today's lessons if you were feeling better, and they insisted on writing get-well cards. I didn't know there would be so many."

Albus then went on to tell him everything that had happened while Scorpius had been in the hospital wing, describing in detail his failure to brew a simple Disinfectant Potion without Scorpius as his partner ("I don't know why wizards even bother with that, Rose says you can just use iodine for most of the things that potion is good for") and telling him rather excitedly that he had caught the two Slytherin prefects, Emory O'Neill and Francine Fairchild, kissing in a corner of the library.

When he was halfway through his account of Professor Munroe's lesson about tolerance and moral courage, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. The healer went to open it and they craned their necks to see who it was, seeing as none of the other beds were taken.

"Good evening, Tibius. I was wondering if I could have a word with my son?"

Albus nearly fell off his chair trying to catch a glimpse of Mr Malfoy, who was wearing his Ministry uniform under a damp travelling cloak and had dark shadows under his eyes. He and the healer shook hands, and Albus quickly stood up.

"I'd better go," he whispered, "but I'll come by again tomorrow, yeah?"

Scorpius nodded. With one last reassuring grin, Albus turned around and walked over to the two adults, who were talking in low voices. He stopped in front of Mr Malfoy and stuck out a hand.

"Mr Malfoy, I'm Albus Potter, so pleased to meet you. I'm a good friend of Scorpius'."

Scorpius' father shook his hand with a rather bemused expression.

"He's in that bed over there. Good night, Mr healer, sir," said Albus, unfazed, and proceeded to leave the hospital wing. He felt confident that he had made a good first impression on Mr Malfoy, at least according to the circumstances. Judging by the look on Mr Malfoy's face, he probably wasn't used to being approached like that - Albus did read the Daily Prophet from time to time, after all, and whenever someone mentioned the Malfoy family, it usually wasn't to say something positive about them.

Stooping down to tie his shoelace, Albus paused just outside the door to the hospital wing, which he had left slightly ajar. He heard muffled voices, then his name being said a few times, then silence. Curious, Albus dug in his bag for one of Uncle George's Extendable Ears and slipped it under the door.

"...can't lie to me, Scorpius, I spoke to Professor Munroe and he told me what happened."

Silence again. Albus inched a little closer to the door.

"I should've known things like this would happen if I let you attend Hogwarts. Your mother said it all along, but I didn't want to listen to her..."

"Grandmother was for it, though."

"Listen, Scorpius, it's not too late yet. I can owl the headmaster at Beauxbatons, I happen to know him rather well. You can still transfer."

"I don't want to transfer, father. I have friends here."

There was an odd noise, then Albus heard Mr Malfoy say: "Friends who ambush you in the corridor and hex you for the simple fact that you're a Malfoy? You will have better friends, more friends, at Beauxbatons, Scorpius. Just think about it, promise me you will think about it. Alright?"

"Yes, father."

His heart thumping in his chest, Albus reeled in the Extendable Ear, stuffed it in his bag and quickly crept behind one of the tapestries that he knew was concealing a staircase up to the second floor. He could hear the door to the hospital wing open and close, then footsteps disappearing down the corridor.

_"You will have better friends, more friends, at Beauxbatons, Scorpius..."_

Maybe that first impression hadn't been quite so good, after all, Albus thought grimly. But whatever Mr Malfoy said, there was no way he could let Scorpius transfer to Beauxbatons. And he already had a plan.

* * *

><p>The next day, Albus appeared at breakfast with a few rather startling changes. For one, his hair was bright green. If you looked a little closer, you could see that he was also sporting a rather black eye, and his bag was bound shut with a large amount of Spellotape, as the seams kept ripping even after one of the prefects tried to mend them.<p>

The Slytherins knew that Albus had looked even worse when he'd returned to the common room the night before. The Hufflepuffs had seen Albus talk to Professor Longbottom before breakfast to get rid of a particularly clingy pair of bat wings spouting from his elbow, and everybody knew that the Bat-Bogey Hex was a particular specialty of one James Potter. The Ravenclaws were deep in conversation with the Gryffindors, who had the full story on what had happened between the two brothers in the Gryffindor common room the night before, and there were rumours that James was down in the hospital wing right now, apologizing profusely to Scorpius Malfoy.

"I don't know about the apologizing," said Albus, "James doesn't really do that. But he's definitely talking to him, or else he won't be getting any food from the house-elves until he does."

He made a mental note to refill his stash of Kreacher's favourite treats later, yet again appreciating the great advantage of having Hogwarts' house-elves to back him up in emergency situations.

"In any case," he said, satisfied, "I don't think anyone will be attacking Scorpius again any time soon."

The green hair started to fade by lunch-time, and even his bag finally let itself be repaired again that afternoon. As soon as classes were over, Albus went down to the kitchens to once again thank the house-elves for their help, and left with basket full of pumpkin pasties, cheese sandwiches and apples. There was even a flask of hot tea, treated with an insulation spell, and a box of freshly baked ginger snaps. Humming, he went down to the hospital wing, let his black eye be treated by the healer and grinned at the expression on Scorpius' face when he started to unpack the basket on his bed.

"Thought you might prefer a little picknick over yet another bowl of soup," he explained. "It's mostly left-overs from lunch, but they're still good. I think they made the biscuits when I wasn't looking, though."

They had eaten their way through most of the food before Albus finally felt ready to ask.

"Did, um, James come by to see you this morning?"

"Yes, he did. He brought me these." Scorpius pointed to a box of chocolate frogs on his night table. "And he brought some friends over lunch to sign my cast."

When he lifted the blanket to show Albus his leg, there was even a hint of pride in his expression. Albus raised an eyebrow, than snatched up a quill from the night table and added his name to the others. He also drew a miniature Hogwarts and a couple of stick figures representing himself and the other first-year Slytherin boys.

"That's actually a Muggle tradition, I think," he said, sitting back to admire his work. The stick figures smiled and waved at him. One of them tried to catch the snitch that James or one of the Gryffindors had drawn earlier, and which was zooming around the cast in regular intervals.

"You know," said Scorpius slowly, frowning a little, "I don't think your brother really hates Slytherins."

"Nah, James is all talk. He thinks he has to be this big Gryffindor hero, like our dad, because everyone expects him to. And he's incredibly stubborn. Once he has you pegged as a bad person, there's not much you can do."

"So what made him change his mind about me?"

Albus smiled mysteriously. The tips of his hair were still faintly green, but Scorpius politely refrained from mentioning that. Then, however, his face fell again.

"Hey, Scorpius... you're not, you know. Thinking of leaving Hogwarts, are you?"

Scorpius, who had been watching the stick figures struggle with the oversized snitch on his cast, raised an eyebrow. Albus flushed.

"I, uh, overheard you and your dad last night. Sorry."

Scorpius sighed.

"It's okay. Father is just trying to look out for me. But no, I don't want to leave Hogwarts. Besides, I can't even speak French that well."

Albus looked immensely relieved at that. For the rest of the evening, they talked about classes, and Albus had to explain multiple times what a television was after mentioning they had one at home. When the healer finally told him to leave, Albus decided to skip dinner, since he was still stuffed from their little picknick, and went straight to his dormitory to finish the letter to his father.

* * *

><p><em>Dear dad,<em>

_being in Slytherin isn't so bad after all. I already made lots of friends, and anyway, I know all the passwords, so I've been spending loads of time in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tower. And I had a pillow fight in the Hufflepuff common room once, but that was entirely William Ashby's fault. Professor Sparkles gave me a couple extra charms to practise because I could do all the easy ones in class already thanks to Ted._

_I know Uncle Ron doesn't really like the Malfoys, but even James says Scorpius is OK now. I hope you can meet him some time because I think you'd like him. Rose is furious because his essay on Enlargement Potions got a higher mark than hers the other day. Incidentally, mine got 5 points out of 10, which is slightly better than the last one, yay for that. You can't really be mad at me though because Uncle Ron told me you were crap at Potions too. Don't know why they still teach it - couldn't you have a word with the school board? I'm sure they'd scrap it if YOU told them to!_

_Regina Bonham says there's going to be a Yule ball this year, but first years are not allowed to go. James reckons he can get Marianne Wood to take him, as if! Wish I could go, though._

_Send my love to mum and Lily,_

_Albus_

_PS: I need another box of that stuff Kreacher likes so much. Seriously, that elf is a life-saver. Thanks!_


	5. Chapter 5: Introductions

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

**Chapter Summary: **Scorpius meets some more members of the infamous Potter-Weasley clan, and the Yule Ball is approaching.

Hi there, I noticed that a lot more people seem to be reading this story than I initially expected. I used to be a very avid reader and writer of HP fanfiction until about three years ago, when I hit a massive writer's block that I'm only just recovering from now. I started this story mostly for fun, as I wanted to get back into the whole writing process again with something that I actually enjoyed writing. Of course, I am very out of practice, and so I'm really, really grateful for every tiny little review that I get, because I need the feedback - I know my writing is far from perfect, but I want to work on it again, so I just wanted to appeal to all those invisible people out there who make my story statistics go up - if you would just take a few seconds to tell me what you think, that would be so awesome! And thank you for reading.

(Also, to all those who are only here for the slash - I promise it will get more interesting as soon as the boys are old enough...)

**Warning: **August and Oscar use Naughty Words, beware!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 5: Introductions<span>

The first time that Scorpius Malfoy entered Ravenclaw Tower was on occasion of Rose Weasley's twelfth birthday party. It took place on a cold Saturday night in November and Albus had, apparently, invited every Hogwarts student he had ever spoken to - and those were many, if you were Albus Potter. To Albus' disappointment, most of the Slytherins on the guest list had declined to attend, and so, taking pity on his friend, Scorpius had agreed to accompany him.

Inspired by the annual Hallowe'en feast at Hogwarts, Albus and his cousins had organized a costume party for Rose. When Scorpius objected that he didn't have any clothing that could be used as a costume, Albus disappeared in the bathroom and came back with several rolls of bandages from the first aid kit. A few minutes later, he led Scorpius over to a mirror, out of which a positively frightening looking mummy was peering back at him. He had to admit that Albus had done a nice job on the blood stains, though he wasn't sure whether mummies were supposed to still have blond hair peeking out from under the bandages.

He watched Albus turn himself into a giant bat with lots of black paint and a pair of slightly lopsided bat wings he had fashioned out of cardboard and bedsheets, and once again had to admire his handiwork. Then they met up with a slightly bored looking Dementor in the Great Hall, who was really James, and together they climbed up the stairs to Ravenclaw Tower.

They stopped in front of the bronze eagle and Albus knocked.

"What has no mind, but memory?" said the eagle. James raised an eyebrow beneath the hood of his cloak and muttered something vaguely offensive about Ravenclaws and their riddles, but Scorpius interrupted him.

"A snitch," he said.

"Quick thinking," replied the eagle, and they were let into the common room, which was clean, bright and airy. It had been a guess, yet Scorpius couldn't help but feel a little proud that he had solved the riddle - he would have done well in this house, after all. Taking in his surroundings, he was almost tempted to have a look at the bulging bookshelves that ran along the walls, but followed Albus obediently over to where Rose was examining a huge chocolate cake decorated with tiny marshmallows in the shape of brooms, eagles and snitches.

"I assume this is your responsibility," huffed Rose when they joined her. Albus put on an innocent face and swatted at James' hand, which was trying to steal a fluttering marshmellow snitch. Rose hugged her cousin, scolded him some more for making such a fuss, then cut them all big slices of chocolate cake.

They had just handed over their presents when they were joined by a group of Weasley cousins and Albus eagerly took it upon himself to introduce Scorpius to them. First there was the Head Girl, Victoire, who was dressed like a banshee and looked every bit as stunning as Oscar had described. It was no wonder, with a mother like Fleur Delacour, Scorpius thought, trying to remember the rumours of Veela heritage that his grandmother had told him about.

Victoire Weasley's handshake was slow and cool, and Scorpius had the strange impression that she was scrutinizing him intently while at the same time barely registering him. Next to her stood a tall, thin fifth year girl called Molly, whom Scorpius recognized as one of the Ravenclaw prefects and whose face was painted like an owl. It seemed like a very fitting costume for her, Scorpius thought as she peered at him through her wire-rimmed glasses and gave Albus a fleeting hug. Molly's sister Lucy, a fourth year Hufflepuff, looked pretty enough - if it hadn't been for the fact that she was covered in purple fur.

"Imogene and I practised hair-dyeing charms today, and something went wrong - so I figured, why not leave it for the party?" she told them excitedly.

"What's it supposed to be?" asked Scorpius. It came out a bit rude, even though he hadn't intended it, and he flushed. Lucy turned to him with a frown.

"A Pygmy Puff," she said, rather coolly. Scorpius remained silent for fear of saying something stupid again, so Albus came to his rescue.

"You look adorable, Lucy! Have you had cake yet?"

The conversation thankfully turned to other topics and Albus steered him away again to introduce him to some of the other guests, who were mainly first and second years, along with a few older Ravenclaws who seemed to know the Weasleys. Scorpius had no idea how Albus had managed to befriend so many people in just over two months, but everyone they talked to seemed to know him well. He finally settled for the explanation that some of them had been friends already before coming to Hogwarts, like Scorpius, Oscar and August.

When they had circled the common room and arrived back at the now considerably diminished cake, Rose rejoined them again, smoothing out her Holyhead Harpies uniform and snatching Albus' newly filled plate out of his hands.

"I can't believe you found so many people willing to come to my party," she informed him matter-of-factly. "I've learned so many new names tonight that my head is spinning. By the way, thanks for the presents."

She indicated a handsome pair of Quidditch goggles on her head that had been a joint gift from James and Albus, and an expensive one at that, Scorpius thought. Then she turned to him.

"Thank you, so much, for the sweets. People keep giving me books for my birthday, I mean, honestly, what do they think having Hermione Granger as a mother is like? I'd estimate that our house is about seventy percent library, thirty percent living space," she told him with some dismay.

"How many copies of _Hogwarts, A History _did you get this time, Rose?" Albus asked with a wry smile.

"Three," wailed Rose. "I already asked Madam Pince if she could use them for the library, though maybe I should consider selling them, pocket money _is_ pretty tight at the moment..."

Scorpius was just about to ask what else she had got for her birthday when a slightly older girl with voluminous, strawberry red hair and big blue eyes bounced over to them and threw an arm around Rose's shoulders.

"What's up, pippin?" she said, and her pleasant, drawling voice sounded so much like Victoire's that Scorpius instantly thought she must be a younger sister.

"Dom, this is Scorpius," said Rose, and the girl saluted him cheerfully. "And this is Dominique."

"Weasley cousin number five out of twelve, if you count James," explained Dominique. "We still haven't agreed on that, since he's such a Potterhead. Al's sister is definitely in, she's like aunt Ginny. And Al himself, of course."

Albus and she exchanged a high-five while Rose rolled her eyes, and Scorpius wondered, not for the first time, whether it had been a good idea to get involved with the infamous Potter-Weasley clan.

"Victoire over there - have you met? - she's my big sis. Though sometimes I think that she and Louis, my brother, you see, well, they divided up all those scrumptious Delacour genes nicely between the two of them, and I was left only with a bit of a so-so face and the hair. It's actually blond, but I figured, hey, why not go all the way and be a proper Weasley - don't laugh, Rose, it's a valid point," Dominique babbled on, occasionally stealing bits of Rose's cake. "Albus, will you throw me a birthday party in March? I was thinking a bonfire, and maybe a band..."

"Nice costume, Dominique," Rose interrupted with a small grin.

"Thought it would be relevant," replied her cousin happily. At Scorpius' inquiring glance, Rose explained that what Scorpius had took for a ginger cat was actually supposed to be a kneazle, and that her mother had a licence to breed them, which was why there had always been a few generations of the creatures hanging around their house for as long as she could think.

"Of course, they're all more or less part cat," she said, shaking her head. "Mum doesn't really do much breeding, mostly she just lets them do whatever they want to. When I was little, I used to think she set them up to watch Hugo and me whenever we were playing outside."

"My grandmother breeds peacocks," Scorpius admitted, overcome with the desire to share something about himself as well. And the peacocks were usually safe territory in casual conversation, as long as people didn't latch onto the topic of his grandmother, and from there proceeded to questions about his grandfather, at which point Scorpius liked to excuse himself.

Albus seemed to sense his reservation, though, and prompted him to tell the story of how one of the peacocks had once swallowed the snitch during a friendly game of Quidditch between some of his father's colleagues from the Ministry. Scorpius tried to recreate Oscar's description of the expressions on their faces, and while he felt that his rendition of the event couldn't quite compete with the outrageously hilarious tale Oscar usually told (which was never entirely true, anyway), he soon had to start over again when more people came over to listen to his story.

Finally, Victoire announced that it was almost curfew, and the party slowly broke up as students started to return to their own houses. Albus and Scorpius said good-bye to Rose, who was sprawled out on a sofa, holding her belly and groaning that she had been forced to eat far too much cake. Then James accompanied them back to the dungeons, eyeing two second year Slytherin girls with obvious interest until Albus stepped on his foot and told him to quit it.

"Did you have fun, then?" Albus asked with big, hopeful eyes once they were back in the dormitory. He flopped down on Scorpius' bed and threw his oversized bat wings on the floor. Scorpius nodded, peeling off bandages. He wasn't really sure whether it had been a _fun_ evening, but it had definitely been interesting. He briefly considered writing to his father to tell him all about it, then decided he would only mention the party in passing in his next letter. It would be good for his father to know that he was enjoying himself at Hogwarts, and that he was invited to social gatherings. But perhaps he shouldn't flaunt it that he was spending most of his time with Potters and Weasleys these days. He couldn't really tell at the moment how his father would react to that. Lost in thought, he almost missed Albus' response.

"My family can be pretty overwhelming, but deep down we're all nice, normal people, I swear! Well, maybe not so normal after all, but in a good way, I guess..."

He sounded a little unsure and was watching Scorpius closely to judge his reaction. Scorpius smiled.

"It's fine," he said. "Normal people are boring, anyway."

* * *

><p>By December, Hogwarts was wrapped up in a thick coat of snow. The sight of the snow-covered grounds from the classroom windows made Albus especially giddy, and he had a hard time concentrating on spells and books when he knew that instead of sitting in class, he could be outside in the cheerful flurry of snowflakes, doing all kinds of fun things.<p>

As soon as he got the opportunity, he dragged Scorpius and Rose out of the castle, both heavily bundled up in coats and scarves. They spent a Friday afternoon building snow men, or, in Rose's case, snow women, and in Albus' case, a whole armada of snow people and creatures. Hagrid came by and provided them with carrots, coals and small pumpkins for decorating them, and when they were done, they drank large mugs of steaming cocoa in his hut while their coats and shoes dried by the fire.

The rest of the weekend was mostly spent in a huge snowball fight with the Gryffindors, something which Scorpius had never done in his life and Albus claimed was totally unavoidable growing up with a horde of Weasley cousins. When they finally called a truce, the participants were all covered in so much snow that they resembled Albus' snow creatures rather more than human beings, and Scorpius discovered with some dismay that he had lost his scarf in the commotion.

"Here, take mine," Albus said, removing his own knitted blue scarf and wrapping Scorpius up in it until his whole face was covered in wool. Scorpius tugged it down again, flushed from the heat it provided, and opened his mouth to thank him, but Albus would have none of it.

"My gran's teaching Lily to knit," he explained. "I have more Weasley knitwear than I can count. And besides, this one's far too warm for me, anyway."

Scorpius thought for a moment if there was anything he could offer Albus Potter in return that the latter didn't already have in abundance. Doubting that he would like a peacock feather for writing (which was highly impractical, anyway), Scorpius finally settled on sharing some of the Christmas treats his grandmother had sent him when they were sitting around one of the fires in the common room that evening. Albus seemed to enjoy trying all the things he didn't know already, especially since most of it was from abroad: cinnamon macarons from France, chewy and spicy gingerbread from Nuremberg, crisp Swedish pepparkaka and Italian panforte, which was so thick and sweet that it took minutes to swallow even a single bite.

"This is amazing," Albus muttered and patted his belly. He was sprawled out across a particularly squashy armchair, dangling his legs over an armrest. "Tell your grandmother she is awesome and I owe her."

Scorpius smiled, imagining what Narcissa would say if he told her that she had been described as "awesome." He felt pleasantly warm and sleepy, and he'd long since decided that his Charms essay could wait another day, just this once. Even if he finished it tomorrow, he would probably still be among the first to hand it in.

"I wonder why James didn't join us earlier," Albus mused, nibbling on a piece of panforte. "Maybe Marianne Wood turned him down for the Yule ball after all, and he went off to sulk."

"Actually, _he_ turned _her_ down," came a voice from behind. Oscar and August had returned from the library and were eyeing the box of sweets with interest. Scorpius picked up the remains and offered them to his friends.

"We saw them in the Great Hall earlier. Your brother said he was already going with Norma something from Ravenclaw."

"No way," said Albus. "Norma is that really tall one with the - you know..." He blushed and made a few vague motions with his hands.

"Big breasts?" August offered.

"Huge tits?" said Oscar at the same time.

"Erm... yes, that," Albus mumbled. "I can't believe he got _her_ to take him to the ball..."

"Yes, we all want to know his secret," Oscar said and flopped down in one of the vacant chairs, grabbing one of the glossy red and white candycanes from the box. August sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of the fire and smoothed out the collar of his shirt.

"Oscar asked her, too," he explained. "Even gave her a rose, but she only laughed at him, didn't she, Os?"

"You bet she did," grumbled Oscar. There was a crunch as he bit down on the candycane, which released a glittering, minty stream into his mouth. Albus grabbed one to try out himself and experienced a pleasant surprise as the purple ribbon started to unravel in his mouth and dissolve into something resembling a sugary fruit punch.

"You know," he said carefully after he had swallowed, "we don't _have_ to find a fourth-year girl willing to be our date to attend the Yule ball."

Three heads snapped up with obvious interest, and Albus grinned.

"We're listening, Potter."

* * *

><p>The Yule ball was scheduled on the evening before students would leave Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. Albus and the others now spent most of their afternoons shut up in the dormitory, practising Disillusionment charms until they had to admit that this spell was probably a tad bit too advanced for them.<p>

Wishing he had his father's Invisibility Cloak, Albus curled up on one of the large window sills of the Slytherin common room and spent an hour thinking and pulling faces at the curious sea creatures that sidled up to the window to get a closer look at him. Of course, they could ask James to Disillusion them, but Albus wasn't entirely sure he would do it – and besides, his brother's services usually required some form of payment, and he wasn't keen on doing James' household chores in addition to his own over the Christmas holidays _again_.

On the day of the ball, an anticipatory hush lay over the castle, and most of the older students retired up to their dormitories in the afternoon to get themselves ready. Albus sneaked down to the Great Hall to catch a glimpse of the decorations and then joined Hagrid outside, who was preparing a few large, horse-drawn sleighs that were laid out with thick woollen blankets.

"Fer the couples," he said, puffing as he tried to convince a particularly tall horse to approach one of the sleighs.

"That's really nice, Hagrid. Did you help with the other decorations, too?"

"Sure did, put up the mistletoe with Neville - ah, Professor Longbottom, o' course - an' you should see what Professor Sparkles did with the trees. There's also the suits o' armour that's gonna be enchanted to mix with the crowd an' dance..."

A worried look crossed his face, and he turned to look at Albus, who was listening with obvious interest.

"Yer not s'posed ter know all that, in fact... Promise you won' spread it around and ruin the surprise fer everyone, will you?"

"Of course not, Hagrid. My lips are sealed."

Smiling and humming to himself, Albus left Hagrid to struggle with the horses and went back up to the castle. They wouldn't have to ask James to Disillusion them, after all. Now all they had to do was find a few suits of armour that were roughly their size...

* * *

><p>Norma Holmes only agreed to be James Potter's date for the Yule ball on the condition that he introduce her to Louise McGillicuddy, a Gryffindor girl in his year with the most amazing blue eyes and the prettiest smile she had ever seen in her whole life. She made it very clear to James that should he attempt to kiss her, hold her hand, dance with her more than once or, Merlin beware, touch her breasts, she would not hesitate to kick him in the groin.<p>

James didn't say a single word as she listed her demands, and his only comment afterward was a meek "Does that mean you're, like, a lesb-" before she threateningly raised her foot and he shut up.

They shared one obligatory dance during which James tried very hard not to step on her toes while staring at her ample cleavage. Norma made sure in turn to tread on his foot a couple of times. After that, she ordered James to fetch them drinks, and they made their way over to where Louise and a few other Gryffindor girls were sitting with their dance partners. Her confidence received a boost when she saw that Louise was sipping her Butterbeer rather unenthusiastically while her partner regaled her with a stream of pompous words, apparently desperate to impress her.

All in all, though, her introduction to the girl with the prettiest smile in all of Hogwarts could have gone better.

It turned out that James had dated one of the girls at Louise's table the previous year, which was why their reception was rather frosty to begin with - between the reproachful, narrowed eyes of the girls and the threatening gaze of the current boyfriend, Norma wondered if this arrangement had actually been a good idea. And when James introduced Norma, Louise was still sipping her Butterbeer with that bored look, barely even glancing up at her. Heartbroken, Norma started to tug at James' arm, but he seemed unaware of the hostile mood, chattering on stupidly until one of the boys stood up and told him to get lost.

The evening ended with a black eye for James and a spilled drink down the front of Norma's low-cut dress robes, and the only good thing was that none of the teachers had been around when the short tussle ensued at their table.

Norma was seriously contemplating delivering that kick in the groin after all on her way to the nearest bathroom when she was brushed by a rather small, reeling suit of armour that apologized to her in a tinny, boyish voice.

Shaking her head, she continued down the corridor. Only the next day did she hear about the four first years who had tried to sneak into the Great Hall in disguise after she had left and received a collective detention for it.

Her only real regret was that she would have liked to see the look on Louise's face when the suits of armour toppled into the punch bowl and platters of cheese.


	6. Chapter 6: Weasley Jumpers

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

**Chapter Summary: **Scorpius gets a present and meets Harry Potter, and at the end of term, Albus has a little surprise in store for his best friend. Note: the Potters are living in Grimmauld Place 12 in this story, though I imagine Harry and Ginny renovated the house before moving in, so it's a lot more welcoming and cheerful now.**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6: Weasley Jumpers and Three-Headed Dogs<span>

Christmas holidays had been quiet for Scorpius Malfoy. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy being home again, or spending time with his family, especially his father. In fact, in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas, he had even been slightly homesick, though he hadn't mentioned this in front of his friends.

But somehow, Christmas in the Malfoy household always came with complications.

It had all started with his grandfather getting into one of his rages on Christmas Eve. Narcissa and Draco had spent hours trying to calm him down, and by the time they all sat down for dinner that night, the mood had been rather strained. Scorpius' parents then had a big fight the next morning after the annual exchange of presents, resulting in his mother storming off to spend the remainder of the week with her family. With his mother gone, his father being called in to work sooner than expected and Narcissa tending to her husband, there wasn't much left to do for Scorpius but read, play chess against himself, feed the peacocks and work on his flying skills whenever his grandmother had time to watch him.

Back on the Hogwarts Express, Scorpius was fighting a headache. All the noise and the unsteady motion of the train made him slightly nauseous after so many hours spent in the quiet solitude of Malfoy Manor. Shivering, he tugged down the sleeves of his cashmere sweater and half listened to Oscar's lively account of his holiday spent with his cousins in France, half let himself be lulled by the changing scenery outside the window. Just as he was wondering where Albus was, the door to their compartment slid open.

"Hi guys," chirped the familiar voice. "Had nice holidays? No Nargle infested mistletoe, I hope?"

Grinning, he squeezed in between Scorpius and Oscar, slipped off his shoes and sat down cross-legged on the seat. Scorpius couldn't help smiling back – he hadn't really noticed how much he'd missed his friend until he was sitting next to him again, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was only when Albus wriggled out of his jumper - which was handknitted, made of garish green wool and decorated with the letter 'A' on both sides - that Scorpius noticed the bruise on his neck.

"What happened?" he said, pointing at the bruise, and the other boys leaned forward to get a closer look. Albus' cheerful face fell a little at his words and he pulled at his collar with a sheepish smile.

"James 'n me had another fight," he mumbled. Then he brightened again considerably. "But then dad got him a new broom for Christmas, and he was so happy he completely forgot what we were fighting about."

"A new broom? Which one? The new Accelerator?" Timothy piped up excitedly.

"Oh come on, that one's a racing broom, you can't really play Quidditch on that..." said Edward.

"Of course you can, _if_ you can handle the speed..."

"What kind of broom do you have, Albus?"

Fidgeting nervously, Albus seemed to think for a moment. Then he said quietly, "A Nimbus," and went back to chewing on his lower lip. Timothy and Edward seemed satisfied by that, though, and went back to discussing the merits of different brooms.

Scorpius had been puzzling over Albus' behaviour regarding flying and Quidditch for a while now. He'd had a lot of time to think over the holidays, and had come to the conclusion that for some reason, Albus obviously wasn't interested in either. He turned to Albus, who was still pretending to follow the conversation on brooms.

"Want to go to the food trolley?"

Albus nodded, eager to leave the compartment, and they walked down the corridor in silence while the train wound its way through the snowy landscape.

"It's okay if you don't like Quidditch, you know," Scorpius finally said. He held his breath, waiting for an answer. To his surprise, Albus smiled.

"I know," he said, "It's just that my whole family is crazy about it and I'm... not. I, um, don't really like brooms."

He shrugged. They both pulled out a few coins as they reached the food trolley, ordering sweets like they had done on their first trip on the Hogwarts Express, and on the way back they stopped at one of the other compartments to talk to Rose, who, amazingly, was wearing a knitted jumper quite similar to Albus' with the letter 'R' gracing the sleeve.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," Albus was saying when they left for their own compartment again. "I got you a present."

He rummaged in his bag and pulled out something woollen and slightly misshapen. It was a nice shade of blue and Albus blushed a little as he shook it out to reveal that it was another one of the knitted jumpers, this one adorned with a small grey S on the front.

"I told my granny about you, and she insisted on knitting one for you as well," Albus muttered, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's a family tradition." Scorpius noticed with amusement that his ears had gone pink. He held out the jumper to him and Scorpius took it, surprised at how soft it felt.

"Thanks," he mumbled, feeling very warm all of a sudden and not knowing what else to say. Albus only grinned at him and bounced off happily to rejoin the others. Bemused, Scorpius stayed behind to look at the jumper once more, then quickly exchanged his own sweater for it before he, too, went back to their compartment. The jumper was a little large on him, but he figured he would grow into it soon.

By the time they reached Hogwarts, Scorpius' headache was gone.

* * *

><p>Soon after Christmas holidays, the first years were swamped with homework and exam revision. The weather was so atrocious that even the short walk over to the greenhouses or down to the Quidditch pitch to watch a match was a pain, and until March, the students mostly stuck to their common rooms, bundling up in front of the fires with books and scrolls of parchment to complete essays or practise charms.<p>

On top of homework, Albus and the other Slytherin first year boys also had to serve their detentions. Scorpius had been horrified at first that he had been caught trying to sneak into the Yule Ball with the others, but miraculously, his father had only laughed it off at the train station, which made him feel a lot better about his detention.

It was during one of these, while helping Hagrid collect firewood in the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, that Albus received a bite from a poisonous and, apparently, carnivorous plant. They had managed to extricate him in one piece from the plant, but Albus still had to be taken to the hospital wing when his right hand wouldn't stop swelling. They were excused from the rest of their detention, and when Scorpius came to visit him later, Albus was telling the healer all about his life-threatening encounter with a vicious three-headed dog called Fluffy.

"Strange. If I recall correctly, that was also the name of the three-headed dog that guarded the Philosopher's Stone... You know, the one your father saved from You-Know-Who? I wonder what he'd say if he knew that _Fluffy_'s still roaming the Hogwarts grounds."

Scorpius had to suppress a grin when Albus shot him a dirty look. The healer was bandaging his hand and wrist, which was about twice its usual size, and Albus winced whenever the bandage brushed his inflamed skin.

"Well, you can ask him yourself," Albus finally said, sounding almost haughty. "He's coming by later to visit Nev- Professor Longbottom, I mean - and James and I are having tea with them. It's Voldemort, by the way. Fear of a name only increases fear of a thing itself."

The healer frowned.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Mr Potter. You need to rest until the antidote has drawn out all the poison..."

Albus' look was murderous, but the healer didn't seem fazed by it. Scorpius had to admire the way he made Albus drink a cocktail of different potions which all made him nauseous, feverish and tired even though he was still complaining. The healer had to promise him several times that he would try to talk to his father and tell him what had happened.

In the end, though, it wasn't necessary, because Harry James Potter, Saviour of the Wizarding World, chose that exact moment to burst into the hospital wing to check on his injured son.

* * *

><p>Scorpius swallowed. He could practically feel his face flush and his hands go sweaty in the presence of Al's father. He had heard and read so many stories about him, and it was hard to pick up a newspaper that did not feature at least one article about him. Even though Scorpius knew a lot of things about the animosity between Harry Potter and his own father during their time at Hogwarts, he couldn't deny that he admired the man something fierce.<p>

He watched as Albus was swept into his father's strong arms and thoroughly checked for injuries despite his protests that he was fine. When he was finally relinquished so that Mr Potter could talk to the healer, Albus grimaced and rolled his eyes in Scorpius' direction, but Scorpius could see that he was pleased his father had come.

Harry Potter was presently shaking his head in a slightly exasperated manner.

"After all that happened in there, I'm surprised they still send students out into the forest on detentions," he said quietly. "I'm sure I heard Hagrid say something about the Acromantula territory having expanded lately…"

Albus looked up, a strange mixture of alarm and glee on his face. Then he contemplated the thick bandage around his hand.

"Reckon I can pass it off as an Acromantula bite in the common room later?" he asked Scorpius.

Smiling, the healer offered to make a pot of tea, which Mr Potter accepted gladly. The Head Auror patted down his intricate cloak to remove the last bits of snow clinging to the fine leather before he removed it and hung it over the back of a chair. Scorpius was just wondering whether he should leave when Albus motioned him closer.

"Dad, this is Scorpius," he said with a slightly worried glance at his father.

Scorpius resisted the urge to hide behind one of the beds and forced himself to stand straight, a polite greeting on his lips, when - something marvellous happened.

Harry Potter smiled and held out his hand.

"I figured," he said in that pleasant, slightly rough voice that Scorpius knew from the Wizarding Wireless Network. "Nice to finally meet you, Scorpius, my son spent most of his Christmas holidays talking about you."

"Dad!"

Scorpius felt himself blushing again, and he shook the offered hand, which was warm and large and callused. He made a mental note to tell Oscar and August about this encounter later, but he would probably leave out the bit about Albus talking about him.

"Why don't you join us for a cup of tea?" offered Mr Potter, and Scorpius died a little inside, but nodded bravely and sat down on one of the vacant chairs. The healer came back levitating a tray and soon they were all holding steaming mugs of tea and munching on biscuits. Afterward, Scorpius helped the healer clean up, trying not to listen to Al's quiet conversation with his father.

"The common room is really amazing," Albus was saying. "You can watch all these strange creatures that live in the lake, and there's moving tapestries depicting duels and stuff... Of course, the other common rooms are pretty neat, too. Did you know there's a plaque on your old bed in Gryffindor saying that you used to sleep there?"

"No, I didn't, actually... I thought Neville was just joking about that."

Albus chuckled, slopping tea on his sheets in the process. His eyelids were drooping and he looked even more flushed and exhausted than before. Mr Potter gently took the mug from him, pulled up the blanket to cover his shoulders and stroked his forehead, a touch that looked so familiar on them and seemed so strange to Scorpius, who was rarely touched by his own father, that he had to turn around and pretend to put the bottles of healing potions back in order.

"I'm glad you like your house," he heard Mr Potter mutter. Then there was a rustle of clothing and the sound of the bed curtains being closed.

* * *

><p>Despite his quick recovery, Albus still enjoyed the new bout of fame for his "Acromantula bite" long after the last remnants of snow had vanished from the grounds. Time flew by while they spent weekend after weekend holed up in the library, and before they knew it, the end-of-term exams were upon them.<p>

Exams were a very nerve-wracking buisness for Scorpius, who had been home-schooled before attending Hogwarts. Even the good marks he had got all year long and Albus' continuous assertions that he would do just fine didn't help to ease his mind. They had both spent the Easter holidays at Hogwarts so they had the school library at their disposal for revision. As it turned out, however, Scorpius really needn't have worried so much. He and Rose both received top marks in nearly every class, and he even beat her by one subject, which aggravated her to no end and made her refuse to speak to him for a few days. She was only placated when Ravenclaw was awarded the House Cup at the end-of-term feast, coming first in front of Slytherin by a mere margin of points.

Albus had done very well in Charms and Transfiguration, and he had even managed not to fail Potions thanks to a lot of last-minute tutoring from Rose and Scorpius. All in all, he thought, his parents would be pleased - he hadn't done quite as good as James had in his first year, but it would do.

On the last morning of term, Albus received an owl. He quickly scanned the letter, let out a small whoop and leaned over to steal Scorpius' book from where it was propped open against the milk jug to get his attention.

"My mum says you can come visit in July," he said. Scorpius nearly choked on his cornflakes.

"You're still up for it, aren't you?"

And it was this, and the pleading expression on his friend's face, that made Scorpius promise he would ask his father for permission to spend a week at the Potters' in July, even though he didn't actually think his father would allow it. He had, after all, never stayed over at a friend's house before, so why start now?

* * *

><p>He should have known his prediction was false when his father, instead of denying the request outright, had a long talk with his mother about it. He really, really should have known that he was in trouble when his grandmother got involved as well.<p>

As it was, he was still surprised when, at the beginning of July, Scorpius found himself standing on a patch of grass in the centre of Grimmauld Place together with his father. They watched as the appallingly cheerful house with the number 12 grew out of thin air before them, painted a sunny, light yellow with red window frames, and Scorpius had to swallow hard against the lump in his throat. He glanced at his father, who raised an eyebrow, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gently led him up the front steps.

And then Draco Malfoy lifted his wand to tap on the bright "Welcome" sign that was fixed to the red door of Harry Potter's house.


	7. Interlude: Number Twelve,Grimmauld Place

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

**Chapter Summary: **Due to popular demand (ahem), here is a little interlude to give you an idea of what Scorpius' first visit to the house on Grimmauld Place is like. Also, meet Ted Lupin! Next chapter will be longer again, and we will finally start second year.

* * *

><p><span>Interlude: Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place<span>

Ted Lupin was a wizard, and a fairly talented one at that if the opinions of his professors and superiors were anything to go by, but he also liked doing things the Muggle way.

For example, every morning he would get up early, fill the rosy copper kettle with water and set it on the gas stove. While he waited for the water to boil, he would scan the headlines of both the Daily Prophet and whatever Muggle newspaper his neighbour, a kind old man who had taken a liking to Ted, had finished first that morning and placed on his doormat. Ted loved his quiet mornings. He loved waiting for the whistle of the kettle, warming his hands on his mug and watching the milk swirl into the hot liquid. It was a ritual, steeling him for another long day at the hospital, where he was currently doing an internship.

On that particular day, however, Ted's early morning routine was disrupted by an urgent fire-call from the somewhat rumpled looking head of one Albus Potter.

"Ted, it's horrible! You've _got_ to come over and talk some sense into him!"

Ted put the empty kettle back down with a rather wistful sigh, then turned and knelt down in front of the fireplace. He was used to these kinds of emergencies by now - it came with being a member of the Potter family, related or not -, but that didn't mean he enjoyed dealing with them.

"Slow down, Albus. What's going on?"

"It's dad! He had a fire-call from Mr Malfoy this morning, and now he's all in a rage about something and doesn't want to let Scorpius come visit. He _can't_ do it, Ted, you've got to tell him, I even cleaned my room..."

Suppressing a grin, Ted sat back on his haunches and surveyed the agitated face before him. Albus seemed on the verge of tears, and Ted knew that look well. Harry would probably regret not letting his son's best friend stay over as promised. Really, a sulking Albus was, ultimately, worse than a snarky Malfoy. But Ted also knew that, as admirably as Harry had taken the news of Albus being best friends with his school nemesis' son, actually interacting with Malfoy was a different thing altogether.

Ted sighed. He remembered telling Harry at some point that it would come to this sooner or later, and that he couldn't pretend the whole matter of Albus and Scorpius being friends had nothing to do with him. Unfortunately, for all his being the Head Auror now, his godfather still had a knack for not listening to the things he didn't want to hear.

"I'll be right there," Ted promised, and Albus' face immediately lit up with hope. "Get him in the kitchen with a pot of strong tea, will you?"

"Aye, sir," Albus replied, and with a solemn salute, he was gone.

* * *

><p>It took two pots of tea, a generous splash of Firewhiskey and a great deal of Lupin patience to talk Harry out of his obstinate refusal to have a Malfoy under his roof.<p>

When Ted finally left for work, already late to morning rounds with Healer Brunswick, Albus gave him a thumbs-up from the underneath the Invisibility Cloak just oustide the kitchen. It was a miracle to Ted how the Potter children kept managing to sneak the Cloak out of its various hiding places that Harry thought up for it, but he never told on them. With a wink, he put on his cloak and left, already formulating in his mind a ready excuse to tell Brunswick later for why he had missed rounds.

By the time he dropped by the Potter residence again that afternoon on his way home from St. Mungo's, peace was largely restored to the house - or, at least, peace in the sense of mutual agreement, as it was never entirely peaceful in Number 12. While it was common for at least one of the Potter children to bounce about the place like Pigwidgeon II, that day it was hard not to be infected by Albus' giddy excitement. Ted was contemplating slipping a few drops of Calming Draught in his pumpkin juice when he heard the front door being unlocked.

It was a Friday, and Ted had managed to convince Harry that morning to take some of his paperwork from the office home with him. He was now in a considerably better mood than the one Ted had left him in, though he noticed him double-checking the wards that protected the house as he entered, muttering something about "extra safety precautions for the precious Malfoy heir". Ted smiled, waved cheerily at his godfather and disappeared in the kitchen again.

He was just preparing yet another pot of tea and laying out a plate of what Albus had assured him were Scorpius' favourite biscuits, when the chime of the doorbell sounded evenly throughout the house.

"It's them!"

Albus' footsteps thundered down the stairs, and, judging by the many indignant shrieks, he was bumping into most of the portraits on his way. As Ted knew, the wards had been altered only minutes earlier to give Scorpius and his father access to the house, but Ted still felt an angry ripple run through them when the door was opened to let them in. It was funny how the house sometimes seemed to be affected by Harry's moods. Ted had once even witnessed Mundungus Fletcher being expelled from the house when he had tried to steal one of Lily's baby photos to sell to the press. He'd been lucky he hadn't been on one of the upper floors at the time.

Wiping his hands on a dish towel, Ted mentally prepared himself. Then he took up his wand, charmed the tea tray and biscuits to float along behind him and walked up the stairs to the entrance hall, where a most peculiar scene greeted him. Harry and Malfoy were staring each other down with arms crossed, while next to them, Albus had enveloped a bewildered looking Scorpius in one of his infamous bear hugs.

Bemused, Ted looked from one pair to the other, then cleared his throat.

"Mr Malfoy, Scorpius, would you like a cup of tea?"

* * *

><p>By the end of the day, Ted was relieved to step through the fire and emerge in his own kitchen. It was the most spacious room of the small flat he had rented in central London, and also the cosiest. Settling into the squashed armchair by the window, he summoned a tumbler and the dusty bottle of Firewhiskey from a cupboard and looked out at the starry night sky.<p>

Tea with the Malfoys had been awkward, to say the least. He had actually been looking forward a bit to meeting two of the few relatives he still had, however distant. Between Harry's clumsy determination to be a good role model to his children and Ginny's cool indifference towards the older Malfoy (all the while stuffing Scorpius with biscuits, who was too polite to refuse), Ted hadn't really managed to make either of them talk much, though. Their replies were curt, neutral and stiff, and even Albus seemed too nervous to resort to his usual chatter for once.

It was Albus' stating boldly that he wanted to show Scorpius around the house now that finally broke up the unlikely tea party, and Ted watched as Mr Malfoy took his son aside one last time. Passing them to take Scorpius' trunk upstairs, Ted couldn't help overhear Scorpius promise for the third time that he wouldn't be a burden to Mrs and Mr Potter, and mumble abashedly that yes, he had packed his pyjamas and enough underwear.

Before he left, Mr Malfoy awkwardly shook Harry's hand, told him to fire-call at the Manor if anything happened and with one last glance at his son, pulled up the collar of his cloak and disapparated from the front step.

Sitting in the armchair by his kitchen window, Ted poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey and swirled it thoughtfully around in his hands.

He picked up the framed picture of his own father that stood on his window sill and contemplated it. Many people had told him that he resembled him, and he had heard numerous stories about his parents, from Harry, from his grandmother, from Hagrid and many others. Whenever he was in doubt, those tales were his spiritual guides to life, but sometimes he wished he could just _talk_ to them.

Remus Lupin smiled warmly and a little sadly out of his frame, and Ted smiled back. He felt a small pang of loneliness somewhere in the vicinity of his stomach, as he sometimes did whenever he was around the Potters for a long time. He couldn't quite say what prompted it, seeing as they were the closest he had ever got to having a family of his own. Maybe it was precisely that.

He thought of the look on Scorpius' face as Albus had shown him the television set Harry had acquired some time after Lily's birth and warded against magic with the expert help of Hermione. Like Ted himself had back then, Scorpius had been fascinated by the spells that interacted with the electronics, but all that had been forgotten the minute Albus had proudly turned the television on. The boys had spent the rest of the evening glued to it, only leaving the room at Ginny's insistence to attend dinner.

When Albus had finally fallen asleep on the sofa, feet tucked under his friend's legs, Scorpius had smiled genuinely for the first time that day.

Draining his Firewhiskey, Ted couldn't help but think that his godfather would probably have to deal with seeing a lot more of Draco Malfoy in the future.


	8. Chapter 7: Quidditch

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

**Chapter Summary: **Albus receives a rather special birthday present from his godfather. His second year at Hogwarts is starting, and to his dismay, Quidditch tryouts are coming up.

I'm sorry for the long delay! University is a bit consuming at the moment, but rest assured I'm not giving up on this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 7: Quidditch<span> 

_Dear Al,_

_I am really sorry I can't be in London for your birthday this year. I hope you get to spend a great day with your friends and family, and I promise I'll make it up to you as soon as I get back from Romania, so we'll just have to postpone our traditional birthday excursion for a bit, alright?_

_By way of apology, I'm sending you a rather special present, which will hopefully arrive soon after this letter. I'm currently on an expedition in Russia following the trail of a certain species of dragon that was, until recently, thought to be extinct. I can't tell you more at this point, but I'll write you again soon!  
><em>

_We're moving camp again, so I have to go now. Happy birthday, and I hope you like your present._

_Your godfather,_

_Charlie_

Albus folded up the letter he had read numerous times over the last few days and looked at the wrapped parcel in his lap. Finally, his present from Uncle Charlie had arrived - a whole week after his twelfth birthday, but that was alright, since he wasn't very keen on opening it in front of all his cousins, anyway.

The week with Scorpius had passed amazingly fast. While Scorpius had been somewhat shy and reserved at first, he had quickly adapted to life in the Potter household, and they had spent every waking minute together - watching TV, exploring the house and dragging Al's older relatives to the public swimming pool. Albus had even tried teaching Scorpius how to ride a bicycle, with limited success. He'd been quite sad when Mr Malfoy had returned at the end of the week to pick up his son, only a few days before Albus' twelfth birthday. Scorpius was going to France with his parents and so couldn't come to his party, but he'd sent him a box of sweets and an Unbreakable Lock for his bike.

Slowly, Albus started to unwrap the present from his godfather. Nestled inside the thick parcel was a round glass jar containing what looked at first glance like a dead butterfly, and a note. Curious, Albus peered inside the jar. The butterfly was a drab brown colour, but the moment Albus touched the lid, it turned a beautiful emerald green and seemed to flutter slightly, almost as if it had just come to life. He took the note from Uncle Charlie and read:

_Don't worry, this is not a real butterfly. It's charmed to move and change colour when someone taps the lid of the jar. I was told that if another person touches it, you can tell by the way the butterfly moves how much they care about you. It's a tricky spell, though, and it's not always accurate!_

_Charlie_

"Wicked," Albus muttered, intrigued. He could hear the voices and laughter of James and the others playing Quidditch outside, so he decided to wait for them to finish before he tested his new present and sat down on his desk to write a reply to Charlie first.

He couldn't contain himself long, of course. Albus spent the next few days making everyone in the household tap the lid of his mysterious glass jar. He kept the alleged meaning of the butterfly's movements to himself, but still watched it closely. Whenever it reacted to someone's touch and fluttered around the jar, practically indistinguishable from a live butterfly except for the changing colours, he was immensely satisfied and wrote down his findings in a little black notebook that Rose had given him for his birthday.

He was amazed at how diverse the butterfly's reactions were. When his father touched it, for example, the butterfly turned red like the glowing embers of a fire and beat its wings ferociously against the glass. His mother usually made the butterfly blaze like a sunrise and fly around the jar in neat spirals. Albus was especially pleased when James, exasperated by Albus' constant nagging, tapped the lid and the butterfly, now ruby red, made slightly erratic somersaults. His sister Lily's touch resulted in a rich, buttery yellow colour and fluttery circles.

He also tried his new present on Rose, whose turquoise butterfly seemed to follow invisible patterns around the glass. She was so enthralled by the spellwork that he finally cracked and told her about its meaning. They spent a whole afternoon discussing the object and asking strangers to tap the lid of the jar to see what the butterfly did then.

"I can't wait to try it at school," Albus told her when they sat down on a rickety old bench beneath an apple tree. "Maybe I can even get the teachers to do it, then if I find out one of them likes me well, I won't have to do all my homework..."

"You're impossible, Albus," muttered Rose, examining the apples on the tree and deciding they weren't yet ripe enough to eat. One of Aunt Hermione's pet kneazles had sneaked up on them and was now eyeing Albus' gently beckoning hands. It was a constant source of amazement to Rose that the usually hostile and self-sufficient creatures behaved like attention-starved cats around Albus.

"Maybe, but you still love me," replied Albus as the kneazle jumped into his lap, and he shook the butterfly jar at her with a grin.

* * *

><p>On the first of September, Albus was grumpy - even grumpier than usual this early in the morning. Lily had invited over some friends the night before, and he had happily helped his mother prepare the food for their pyjama party until he had learned that he wouldn't be allowed to join them.<p>

"Girls only," Lily had said with a scathing look and even made him swear that he wouldn't disturb them. To his disappointment, none of her friends had wanted to tap on the butterfly glass when they arrived, and then Albus had completely forgotten to pack because he had been so preoccupied with trying to listen at the door to Lily's room. Mum had been livid, and even forbade him to take the butterfly glass to Hogwarts with him. None of his pleading and wailing had helped, and so it was that Albus stood on the platform that morning with a suitcase packed by his mother and bleary eyes because he'd been too angry to fall asleep.

His mood lifted slightly as Scorpius and his father stepped through the barrier, but when he saw that his friend was carrying a broom, he realized with a jolt that they were old enough now to try out for their house Quidditch teams.

"Why the long face, little brother?"

James appeared at his side and clapped a hand on his shoulder. Albus scowled. He wasn't in the mood for his brother's taunts. James, however, didn't seem to notice this, and when he saw Albus looking at the two Malfoys, he grinned.

"Quidditch tryouts this year, eh? I see you've, ah -_ forgotten _your broom, Albus."

_Don't step on his foot,_ Albus had to remind himself. His mother was still ticked off at him, and he didn't really want to start off another year at Hogwarts by getting into a fight with his brother. James wasn't finished with him yet, though. Smiling mysteriously, he pulled Albus over to his suitcase.

"Seeing as you were too busy spying on little girls last night, I did you a favour and packed it for you instead."

To Albus' horror, he pulled out the old Nimbus 2011 that had been a birthday present from a well-meaning relative years ago, and which had been used exactly once ever since, resulting in a broken wrist, a rather traumatic encounter with a wasps' nest and a pledge never to mount a broom ever again.

"I hate you," Albus whispered. He was lucky that their little group chose that moment to start stowing away luggage on the train, or else he might have done something to James that he would regret later.

On the train, Albus was so furious that he had to eat an entire bag of chocolate frogs before he could join his friends in their compartment. The rest of the ride was spent curled up on the seat next to a sympathetic Scorpius, clutching his stomach and generally feeling miserable. He even forgot to drop by Louis' and Fred's compartment, two of his cousins, who were due to be sorted later that evening.

When someone finally took pity on him and went to the front of the train to ask for a stomach remedy, they were almost in Hogsmeade. Albus stopped whining and thoughtfully chewed on the TummyGum that Edward had given him.

"How was France, Scorp?" he asked in a tiny voice, realizing that he hadn't shown the slightest interest in his friend's summer holidays yet.

"Fine," Scorpius said. "And don't say _Scorp_."

Albus rolled his eyes at the typically simple response. Still curled up on the seat, he dug his foot into Scorpius' side.

"Yes, but how _was_ it? What did you do? Where did you go? What was the food like? Did you meet any interesting new people?"

Nagging had always been a particular specialty of Albus Potter.

* * *

><p>"Weasley, Fred!"<p>

"Gryffindor!"

Albus clapped as enthusiastically as if his cousin had been sorted into his own house. Fred looked pleased with himself and sat down next to James, who clapped him on the back approvingly, and Albus felt a little pang of jealousy. He quickly made himself recover from it, telling himself sternly that he didn't depend on the approval of his older brother anymore.

"Weasley, Louis!"

The hat seemed to take a little longer to decide until it put him in Gryffindor as well. Both of Louis' sisters had been sorted into Ravenclaw in their first year, and Albus had a feeling Uncle Bill would be pleased to have a little Gryffindor support at home. Grinning, he joined in the applause and watched as Louis took the seat next to Fred at the table.

"Only two Weasleys this year, eh? Seems like you've still got the advantage of not being related to any of the girls in your house," Oscar said wistfully. "Who's left to be sorted in your family now, Albus?"

"My sister Lily, Rose's brother Hugo and Fred's sister Roxanne," Albus replied at once. Then he looked a little dejected. "They're probably all Gryffindors, though."

"Like I said, more dating opportunities in your own house, mate."

* * *

><p>When Albus Potter didn't show up for the Slytherin Quidditch tryouts, they sent someone to find him in case he had missed the announcement.<p>

Scorpius didn't really have the heart to tell them that Albus most definitely had not missed the numerous signs on the blackboard, the questions and good luck wishes of his classmates and the taunts of his brother that he had been subjected to in the days leading up to the tryouts. He simply stood there and stared stupidly at his feet, nervous about his own chances of joining the team, until the messenger returned, out of breath and with the news that nobody knew where Potter was at the moment.

Having no choice, the team started without him. There was no doubt they were disappointed that they wouldn't have a second James Potter on their team this year. Scorpius could see Rose down in the stands, smiling encouragingly at him. She had already made it on the Ravenclaw team two days earlier and would be playing in the position of Chaser until she could try out for a different position next year. Eventually, she wanted to be a Keeper, she had told Scorpius when he had voiced his doubts as to whether he would even be considered for the team if he tried out for the - currently occupied - Seeker position.

As it turned out, he would have to play different positions in the tryouts anyway, and Scorpius found he didn't really care anymore which one he was chosen for as long as he made the team.

His tension eased a little when he saw that many of the students who had shown up still had trouble staying on a broom for an extended period of time. Tryouts lasted well into the evening, and when his feet finally touched the ground again, Scorpius was knackered - and a Chaser on the team, with the added bonus that he was now also shortlisted for the Seeker position next year.

Since the changing rooms were crowded with people, he decided to use the showers in the dormitory instead and shouldered his broom on his way back up to the castle. As he was nearing the Slytherin common room, a particularly ugly tapestry suddenly whispered his name.

"Scorpius! Over here... Did you make the team?"

Albus' pale face peered out from behind the tapestry, which seemed to conceal a secret passageway. Scorpius couldn't help grinning at his friend, he was too relieved and excited not to share his joy.

"I did... I'm a Chaser for now, but there's a chance I'll play Seeker next year when Nigel Farley graduates."

Albus returned his grin, quickly glanced up and down the corridor and slipped out from behind the tapestry.

"Sorry I didn't come watch," he said sheepishly. "The Hufflepuffs took me in. Did you know they have a secret chocolate stash in their common room?"

Scorpius laughed.

"You're a chocolate addict, Albus. Do the prefects know you spend so much time in houses that aren't your own?"

"Well... Lucy's a prefect in Hufflepuff, so I'm alright there."

Albus stuck his hands in his pockets and started to walk down the corridor, and Scorpius hurried to catch up with his friend. He was a little concerned about how Albus would be received in the Slytherin common room now that everyone knew he hadn't tried out for the Quidditch team. As it turned out, however, he needn't have worried.

Before he knew what was going on, Albus had loudly announced to the common room that Scorpius was the new star of the Slytherin Quidditch team. He was gone again in the split second it took people to comprehend his words, and Scorpius was left to deal with the curious crowd that was gathering around him.

Scorpius stifled a laugh. Sometimes, you just had to admire the boy's non-chalance.


	9. Chapter 8: Pennies

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

**Chapter Summary: **Rose and Scorpius are busy practising Quidditch for the upcoming Ravenclaw-Gryffindor match, so Albus has to get creative. There is also a party in Gryffindor Tower, and some insight into Rose's twelve-year-old mind and August Nott's background.

Thank you for all the lovely reviews this story has received recently. I promise the story _will_ get slashy at some point, but at the moment, the main characters are still too young for anything interesting to happen in that department. I'm trying to look at the HP canon here, where third year was the point when Harry first noticed a girl (Cho) in a remotely romantic way. So bear with me while I develop the characters and friendships first for a while. :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 8: Pennies<span>

The year that Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy were chosen for their house Quidditch teams was marked by a particularly fierce rivalry between their two houses. Albus sadly contemplated his ill luck in the matter whenever his two best friends were whisked off to yet another unexpected strategy meeting or additional practice session out in the rain.

Not only was he a Potter scared of brooms, now he was also a Potter who had to resort to actually doing his homework to fight off the boredom. It didn't help that nowadays Quidditch was the number one topic in conversations between his classmates, or that his brother kept taunting him about not being on the team every time he saw him in the hallways.

It just so happened, however, that a gloomy Albus Potter was also at his most resourceful. He started by volunteering to occasionally help out his head of house, Professor Gaspard, a rather stern, but amiable enough, master of Arithmancy. While his friends were training furiously on the pitch, Albus was reorganizing book shelves in the Arithmancy wing, cleaning out ancient filing cabinets and sneaking down into the kitchen to fetch tea and biscuits for his head of house.

Armed with a clipboard, Albus also spent a considerable amount of time in the common rooms of the other houses, interrogating people about their favourite pastime activities and what they thought was missing at Hogwarts.

By the time Scorpius' 13th birthday rolled around, Albus had all the information he needed, as well as permission from his head of house. He had just came back from the latter's office and was standing on his tip-toes to pin a large poster to the blackboard in the Slytherin common room when Scorpius and the others returned from a friendly game of Quidditch out on the grounds. Albus stabbed the last pin rather viciously through the paper, then plastered a huge smile on his face and bounced over to his friends.

"Is it finally time for cake now?"

"Oh Al, don't you ever _not _think about food?"

The group laughed and settled down comfortably around one of the fireplaces. Scorpius left Albus to handle the magnificent birthday cake that his grandmother had sent him, and Albus cut him a much larger slice than anyone else's. When the others had finished discussing the marvels of Scorpius' new broom, Albus put down his plate and cleared his throat.

"I just wanted to inform you that there are still open spots on the brand-new Hogwarts swimming team, as well as the yearbook committee, which will meet for the first time next Thursday after dinner in the old Arithmancy classroom. If you're interested, you should sign up as soon as possible, they are both very popular..."

Puzzled looks greeted him, and Albus picked up his plate again just so he wouldn't have to meet their eyes. Then everyone started to speak at once.

"A swimming team? But why? We already have Quidditch..."

"What's a yearbook?"

"Who came up with this?"

"The lake is far too cold this time of year, why would anyone want to join a swimming team?"

"Yearbooks are for Muggles, you can just go up to the library or the trophy room if you want to know anything about former students..."

Frowning, Albus stuffed the last of his cake in his mouth and stood up.

"Fine, but don't expect me to make exceptions for you later! I wanted to give you a little headstart, but since you're obviously not interested, I guess I won't even have to ask about the Wizard's Chess society, or the Yule Ball committee... Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of eager applications to consider."

He left the stunned group around the fireplace and stomped up the stairs to the dormitories, where he locked himself in the bathroom and listened anxiously whether anyone had followed him.

In truth, he had neither applications to consider nor anything else to prepare, seeing as he had only just put up the posters and none of the people he had previously interviewed had approached him yet. He wasn't worried, though - he had all the names on his list, and the Yule Ball committee especially had elicited a lot of interest amongst the elder students.

_It's only a matter of time_, he thought, a little angry at himself that he had exploded like that down in the common room, and on Scorpius' birthday no less. It _would _have been nice to have his friends on board...

_They'll come round. I'm sure they will..._

* * *

><p>Rose was having a staring match with herself.<p>

There were rather a lot of Ravenclaw girls in her year, and she enjoyed the rare occurrence of having the dormitory to herself. The others were still in the library, debating their most recent essay for Transfiguration that she had finished last night. Meanwhile, she was standing on tip-toes in front of the steamed-up bathroom mirror, frowning at her reflection.

It wasn't that she was particularly _ugly_, like poor Adelaide Scarecrow in fourth year. But she didn't consider herself to be particularly pretty, either.

Her hands combed through her impossible hair. It was one of the things she actually regretted having inherited from her mother. There were, however, apparently some boys - as tiny, fidgeting Johnny Crusoe had confided in her earlier that week - who liked the look.

Then there was the obvious absence of feminine curves, but Rose tried not to worry about that - she'd seen pictures of her mother at that age, and _she_'_d_ grown breasts at some point during third year. Reasoning that there was only one parent whose cup size genes could have been passed on to her, she would just have to console herself with the fact that Philomena, Alma and Thalia all had chests as flat as hers until third year rolled around.

No, what really bothered her was that she hadn't grown at all over the last summer (she had checked after she had found a measuring spell in _Standard Book Of Spells, Grade 2_). And despite the regular Quidditch training sessions, she was still as skinny as ever, all angles and sharp bones sticking out everywhere.

Rose sighed. She didn't think she could honestly pass off her boyish figure as what Dominique referred to as "tomboy chic". Her grass-stained jeans and loose Quidditch sweaters probably didn't help, either. A few days ago, she had seen Scorpius walk to Herbology with the prettiest Slytherin girl in their year - dark-skinned, curvy thirteen-year-old Alysha James - and she was well aware she would never be able to compete with that, but damned if she couldn't at least do _something_ about that hideous hair.

Determined, she rummaged around in her trunk for the padded bra she had made her mother buy her on their last trip to Muggle London. Then she grabbed the single bottle of nail-polish she owned (almost dried up, she would have to do something about that) and set off to the third year girls' dormitory, which was one dizzying level up from theirs.

"Dominique?"

Her cousin was sprawled on top of her midnight blue duvet, riffling through a copy of _Witch Weekly_ and munching on a celery stalk. Rose pulled a face.

"You still eat that stuff? I thought you'd decided that your weight was fine."

Dominique shrugged, ate the last piece of celery with a loud crunch and motioned for Rose to join her on the bed. One of the other third-year girls came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, with large curlers in her hair. She gave them both a cheery wave, and Rose had to remind herself not to gape as the girl pulled out a rather large case filled with make-up, brushes of different size and tiny perfume bottles. She only turned away when Dominique nudged her in the ribs and shoved the magazine under her nose, now folded back on a page somewhere in the middle.

"Look, it's auntie Ginny."

Rose absently flipped through the raving report on how marvellously Ginny Potter was managing the dichotomy of career and family, then contemplated the sprawling photograph of her leaning down low on a broom, a fierce, determined look on her face. It must've been staged, since aunt Ginny wasn't an active player anymore, and it didn't look like any of the old pictures she had seen.

"How does she do it?" Rose said unhappily, throwing the magazine back in Dominique's lap. "No real woman can look so attractive on a broom _and_ catch the snitch at the same time."

"Nah, they edit the pictures before they publish them... Anyways, should we get ready for the party?"

The Gryffindor second and third years had got together to organize a little inter-house party in honour of the upcoming first Quidditch match of the season (Ravenclaw against Gryffindor), seeing as an unusually large number of new players in their years had been recently selected for the teams. Rose had persuaded Dominique to go with her, secretly hoping that Albus would take Scorpius along again, only to discover that she didn't have a stitch of clothing that was even halfway appropriate for such a party.

"Try this one first," Dominique said and handed her a glittery blue top. It was far too flashy for Rose's liking, but she sighed and started to wriggle out of her sweater.

"Will you paint my nails later?" she asked, her voice muffled by knitwear.

"Sure. Victoire taught me how to charm a Ravenclaw eagle on my nails, want to try it?"

"As long as it doesn't sparkle," Rose muttered, casting a doubtful look at the really questionably short mini skirt Dominique had thrown her way. She sighed. _Think Alysha James_, she told herself, but there was really no way anyone was going to get her into the shiny black pumps that stood waiting at the foot of Dominique's bed.

* * *

><p>"Scorpius?"<p>

Looking up from his book on Wizard's Chess, August squinted at his friend in the dim firelight. He had expected Scorpius to be at the party in Gryffindor Tower with Albus and Oscar (who had insisted on coming along as soon as he'd heard that there would be girls), but the older boy was still dressed in his school robes and slumped down tiredly next to him.

"Only just finished Charms homework," he explained with a small apologetic smile, then turned to watch the flames in the fireplace, seeming lost in thought.

"How was Quidditch practice?"

Scorpius shrugged and nudged one of the chess pieces August had been poring over with his finger. August gently pushed it back into its original position and adjusted his glasses. He'd had to listen to Oscar's scorn about them practically all his life, but they were just a part of him, like that lovely mole was a part of Regina Bonham's neck, and books were an extension of Scorpius' arms most of the time. Besides, his dad didn't earn that much money, they could never have afforded getting his eyes fixed at St. Mungo's.

"Why aren't _you_ at the party?" Scorpius asked after a while of mutual staring in the fire.

Frowning slightly, August slipped a bookmark between the pages he had marked with his finger and put the book away. It was no use trying to read when a Malfoy wanted to talk, he'd learned that early on. And it didn't happen often, either. Scorpius wanting to talk. Usually, he was content just listening, occasionally contributing to the conversation with an insightful remark or a rare joke.

"I've heard Gryffindor parties tend to be loud and rather chaotic," August replied. "I don't particularly like loud and chaotic."

Scorpius nodded wisely and went back to staring into the fire. Clearly, something was preoccupying him, but August knew from experience that pressing Scorpius for details never helped.

"Sometimes I wonder if Albus wouldn't rather be in Gryffindor than here with us."

There, he'd said it. Now August only had to figure out the proper response. Preferably while they were still alone, or else Scorpius would probably pretend the conversation had never happened at all.

"Did he tell you that?" he opted instead for asking.

"No, not really... He's just barely around anymore, is all."

Seconds passed, during which August let this latest Malfoy statement sink in, trying to absorb its true meaning. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stared hard at the chess pieces, as if they would somehow reveal all the answers he needed. Then, finally, the penny dropped.

"Actually, you're the one who's barely around, what with Quidditch and all. That's why Albus had to found all those clubs, you know."

Scorpius turned to him, looking slightly gobsmacked, as well as worried.

"You mean, I -"

"I don't mean anything. Just saying you should all include him a little more."

They were silent again. Scorpius unconsciously picked at the silken threads of the sofa, and August wondered whether it was safe to pick up his book again. Already the chess pieces were getting a little restless on the board. They were made of ivory and onyx, a gift from his grandfather. Apparently, it had belonged to his grandmother once, before she died.

August sometimes thought how strange it was that he had known neither his grandmothers nor his mother in his life. Nott men weren't destined to spend much time with women, it seemed. His mother, of course, was still alive, somewhere. There was still a chance of meeting her some day, albeit a slim one.

"Gus?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to the party. Albus is going to be furious with me if I don't show up, isn't he?"

August hunched over the chessboard again and slid one of the white pieces forward.

"Possibly," he murmured at the black queen, who was eyeing him suspiciously. But Scorpius was already gone.

* * *

><p>August's informant about Gryffindor parties had been quite spot-on in his description. It was nearing curfew already, but the Gryffindor prefects were either out on patrol this night or too busy participating in the festivities themselves to put a stop to them.<p>

It had started out, as all Gryffindor parties do, as an innocent little gathering of Quidditch-enthusiasts (safe, perhaps, for Albus Potter). It was Fred and Louis Weasley who snuck down to the kitchen to provide a little sustenance, then, a while later, James Potter and Muggle-born Edgar Jones had somehow managed to charm a mysterious device to play Muggle music at full volume. After that, it had only taken an illicit bottle of Firewhiskey someone managed to smuggle inside Gryffindor Tower for things to escalate.

Under the watchful eyes of his brother, Albus hadn't had a drink all night, but he still felt rather woozy. He was one of the few second years left, and the noise and excitement was starting to get to him. Despite that, he was too tired by now to get up off the couch on his own, and so he curled up in a corner and watched Anwar Shacklebolt being dragged onto the makeshift dancefloor by a giggling group of girls.

"Alright there, party animal?"

James flopped down next to him on the sofa, landing painfully on his foot in the process.

"Oi! Watch it," Albus grumbled. He tried feebly to push him off, but James only wriggled around and trapped his foot even further.

"Just wanted to let you know - there's someone who wants to join your chess club, Al."

Albus perked up at this. He hadn't had many member requests for any of his clubs yet, aside perhaps the Yule Ball committee, though he was inclined to hand over his leadership to someone else for the time being as he still wouldn't be allowed to attend until fourth year. The chess club, so far, only consisted of August, Jie Chang from Gryffindor, and a couple of Ravenclaws.

"Who is it?"

James winked at him slyly and pointed over to the portrait hole, where Scorpius was scanning the raucous crowd with a slightly panicked look on his face. Immediately, Albus scrambled to his feet. He hadn't exactly been seeing much of his best friend lately, and when said friend hadn't even shown up to the party after Albus had _expressly_ invited him, he'd started to wonder whether he would have to tie himself to a broomstick and try to catch a snitch in his mouth to get his attention.

All tiredness gone, Albus squeezed past the dancing couples. Scorpius' face crossed a look of relief when Albus reached him.

"Sorry I'm late," he shouted over the music.

"It's okay, party's not that fun... Want to grab a bite to eat before we go back to Slytherin?"

Before Scorpius could answer, Albus had dragged him over to a table. Most of the bowls were empty already, so they grabbed a sandwich each and shared the rest of the tiramisu ("Hufflepuffs made this, it's delish!"). Later that night, they would both regret this choice as they lay wide awake in their beds - apparently, the Hufflepuffs didn't only have a private chocolate stash, they were also quite fond of strong coffee. In fact, Albus wouldn't be surprised it if turned out they were growing their own coffee plants in one of the greenhouses, and with Neville's permission, no less.

"So, are you coming to watch the match?"

Albus contemplated this, stuffing a spoonful of caffeine-infused goodness in his mouth. Last year, he had usually stayed behind in the Slytherin common room during a game, lounging around on the most comfortable sofa, practising spells or making sure he could still do headstands against the wall. Having the common room to oneself was a luxury, even in quiet Slytherin house.

"I guess," he finally said, satisfied when Scorpius smiled and motioned for him to take the last bite of tiramisu. "But make sure you win, Rose is getting on my nerves with all that talk about strategy and... and Wronski somethings."

"The Wronski Feint? You mean they've been practising - "

Albus groaned loudly and started to walk towards the portrait hole. Scorpius quickly hurried after him.

"Sorry, sorry..."

All the same, Albus couldn't help but wish just a tiny little bit that he were part of this world of strategies and feints, broomsticks and golden snitches... If only because it seemed to receive so much more attention from his friends than he did nowadays.


	10. Chapter 9: Playing With Fire

**All Was Well...**

**Rating: **T for now, might go up to M later on.

**Spoilers: **The story takes place after DH, so you should have read all seven Harry Potter books.

**Summary: **The story follows Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the other children of the HP generation through their years at Hogwarts and focuses on how they deal with the legacy of their parents and how they interact with each other. There will be various pairings, appearances of the older generation, some angst, some drama, lots of good times and lots of love. The story is canon-compliant and picks up right after the epilogue in DH. I am also trying to incorporate some of the new information revealed on Pottermore, like the layout of the Slytherin common room, but since so far only the first book is online on Pottermore, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep to the Pottermore canon for the entirety of the story. I'm also adding some personal touches.

**Pairings: **There will be **SLASH** later on - don't like, don't read. There are no major pairings for now, as most of the characters are still very young, but I am aiming for Albus/Scorpius at some point later on, among others. I'm also keeping to "canon" pairings such as Teddy/Victoire.

**Author's Notes: **This story is still unbetaed. I proofread every chapter before publishing it, but there might still be spelling or grammar mistakes, seeing as English is not my native language. Feel free to point out those as well as any plot errors or deviations from canon you might pick up!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. This is just for my personal entertainment and I make no money off it.

**Chapter Summary:** Another fight with Scorpius drives Albus to wander the castle, even though he's not supposed to.

I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates lately! I was down with the flu for the better part of last month and had to catch up on some other things first. The chapter isn't very long, and to be honest I'd have liked to edit it again after a few days, but at least it's something, right? So, as always, feel free to point out any errors etc. Happy holidays, everyone!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 9: Playing With Fire<span>

"What's that, Albus?"

Albus looked up from where he was piling his clothes on one of the wooden benches. Sneaking into the prefects' bathroom had been one of his more brilliant (and less dangerous) plans as of late, which might have been the primary reason for his friends' unusual readiness to join him.

Currently, August was pointing at the old piece of string that was tied around Albus' left ankle. A tiny copper coin was attached to it, glinting faintly in the light. Its weight against his calf was by now so familiar that he rarely ever noticed it at all. But now that three curious pairs of eyes were trained on it, the small coin seemed to press into his skin with renewed vigour.

"Um... That was aunt Mione's idea... She came up with it when I was still a baby, after James got lost in a grainfield and mum and dad couldn't find him for hours. It's a bit like the Galleons that Dumbledore's Army used, actually. I can, uh, activate it if I... if something happens to me, and my folks'll know where to pick me up."

Albus trailed off, unsettled by the expressions on his friends' faces. He'd always thought that every wizarding child had some kind of emergency plan worked out with their parents, but then again, being a member of the Potter family _did_ come with a certain risk, even now that most of his father's old enemies were safely locked away in Azkaban.

"You know, in case an ex-Death Eater decides to kidnap one of us or something," Albus added, trying to lighten the mood and failing spectacularly.

At his words, a shadow had fallen on Scorpius' and August's faces, and Albus bit his tongue hard. Usually, he knew better than to mention Death Eaters in front of them, seeing as both their grandfathers (and Scorpius' father) had been involved with them and it was probably a painful subject for the two boys.

"Or rather, um, if Hagrid lets another dragon loose on the grounds, right? Which is far more likely, if you think about it. Er... Anyways, Rose has one, too, she can probably explain it better. Sorry."

Albus flinched at his own clumsy attempt to salvage the situation, but luckily, Oscar came to his help.

"I reckon you need to touch the coin to activate it?"

Nodding, Albus looked down at his bare toes. There was more to the activation procedure - an incantation he'd been made to memorize as soon as he could speak - but he'd sworn over and over again that he would never tell anyone, not even James, how exactly it worked. He was silently steeling himself against the questions, and so it came as a surprise when Oscar grabbed his wrists and yanked them behind his back with a triumphant grin.

"No calling for help now! Alright, Malfoy, you grab his feet, by the count of three..."

_Splash!_

Dimly, Albus registered that he was still wearing his jeans and t-shirt, and he hoped for his friends' sake that there were no chocolate bars or important notes from class stuffed in his pockets as he flailed around in the warm, foamy water.

This called for revenge.

* * *

><p>"I'm bored."<p>

"Scorpius, I'm bored."

"Scorpius!"

Finally, a response. Albus glared at his best friend, who had only just deigned him worthy of his attention, and burrowed down further into the pile of cushions he had made on the sofa. Several people were still shooting him dirty looks (completely uncalled for, in Albus' opinion, after all he _had_ apologized for stealing cushions out from under their current occupants). But he was _bored_, and he wasn't allowed to go out or roam the castle today because he had caught the most annoying cold. It wasn't _his_ fault none of them had remembered to look up drying spells for clothes before going to the prefects' bathroom.

"What?" Scorpius asked mildly.

His grey eyes kept straying back to a corner of the Slytherin common room, where a group of girls was doing homework, and Albus huffed loudly. What was the matter with Scorpius this year, anyway? Even though he was truly making an effort to spend more time with Albus now, he still seemed more distracted than ever. It annoyed Albus greatly, and even more so because he couldn't figure out the reason behind this strange behaviour.

"I. Am. Bored," Albus repeated, punctuating each word by jabbing a finger into Scorpius' shoulder.

Scorpius only swatted at his hand and dropped his gaze back to the book that was lying open in his lap. He hadn't turned a page in the last ten minutes. It was vexing that even a book he clearly wasn't interested in deserved more attention than Albus.

"Why don't you play chess with August?"

"Because it's about as much fun as asking Rose to quiz me on Sleeping Draughts."

"Hmm."

Rolling his eyes, Albus snatched the book away and threw it behind him. He was pleased when, within seconds, Scorpius was scrambling madly to his feet. As it turned out, however, Scorpius wasn't about to entertain his friend with another impersonation of their Potions professor.

"Bloody hell, Albus!"

The quickly summoned book landed in his outstretched hand, and Albus felt a slight pang of guilt when he saw the somewhat singed spine. He wasn't prepared for the look of suppressed rage on Scorpius' face, though. Of course he hadn't meant to chuck the stupid book in the fireplace, but the damage, after all, was only minimal. Surely that was no reason to look at him as if he'd just killed a Pygmy Puff?

Then again, he'd seen Scorpius hex a third year just because he'd made a joke about his grandmother...

"I'm sorry!" Albus squeaked, jumping to his feet.

There was something scary about an angry Scorpius. Now more so than ever, he looked like a younger version of his father. Albus had once seen a photograph of him at that age, all slick blond hair and sneering face, and he'd laughed because he couldn't see the resemblance. Now he knew better.

As quickly as it had come, though, the anger was replaced by a strangely weary look. Scorpius' shoulders slumped, and he sat back down on the sofa, burying himself behind the book again without another word.

Albus sneezed.

"I'b sowwy," he mumbled again.

Scorpius snapped the book shut, stood up and started walking towards the staircase to the boys' dormitories.

"Just... don't play around with fire. You never know..."

And with that cryptic statement, he walked away, leaving Albus standing there in a mess of cushions, his nose streaming and his heart racing with guilt and fear.

* * *

><p>She sighed in the long-suffering, reproachful manner of all Granger women.<p>

"Don't tell me you two fought again."

Albus stared at his cousin and friend with big, apologetic eyes and huddled down further under the woollen blanket. It was a handsome midnight blue, with tiny stars embroidered at the seams. Maybe it was the colour scheme, or the soft whistling of the wind outside, but Albus always felt instantly soothed the moment he stepped inside Ravenclaw Tower.

"This isn't still about Quidditch, is it?" Rose asked from her perch on the window sill, eyeing him suspiciously.

She was sitting cross-legged on a tasseled cushion. Dominique had apparently managed to straighten her hair at some point this morning, but the ends were already starting to curl again. Rose tugged at them with a disapproving glance.

"No, it's not. I... did something stupid earlier and now he's upset with me. I think."

Another sigh.

"Albus Potter, what did you do?"

"I might have... nearly-accidentally-burned-his-book?"

He tried not to laugh at the utterly scandalized look on Rose's face - perhaps telling someone closely related to Hermione Granger about almost burning a book hadn't exactly been his best idea lately. Speaking of, would the blanket protect him against minor hexes?

"Well, that was definitely unwise, considering what almost happened to his father back in the war."

It was as if a light had been switched on inside Albus' brain, and he felt another stab of guilt. Of course Scorpius would be sensitive to carelessness with fire. Just as Albus and his siblings had listened to the captivating stories of Basilisks, Dementors and Invisibility Cloaks over and over again, Scorpius would have grown up with the image of his father surrounded by Fiendfyre, and the gruesome death of Vincent Crabbe.

He winced.

"Ouch."

"Yes, ouch," Rose said. "Or how about 'I'm an insensitive bastard with the brains and tact of a Flobberworm'? Or..."

"Shut up!"

Albus hit her in the face with a cushion, ears burning with embarrassment. He hated it when Rose was right, which, all things considered, was pretty much all the time.

* * *

><p><em>"A-choo!"<em>

His sneeze echoed loudly in the empty corridor. Against the strict instructions of the healer, Albus had been wandering the castle for over an hour now, long enough to earn him another dose of the syrupy Cough Concoction that always made him gag. Not that he would let it come to that, provided he could make it back to his house without being seen.

Pulling the cardigan that he'd borrowed from Rose tighter around himself, Albus turned a corner and stopped when he saw movement at the end of the corridor. Quickly, he slipped behind a tapestry that concealed a short-cut to the kitchen. The sound of footsteps was coming nearer until he could make out voices, apparently belonging to a group of older boys.

"...should have seen his Patronus, of course he said it was a horse afterwards, but I'm telling you, it had a _horn_..."

"I thought only girls could produce a unicorn Patronus?"

"That's what Anthea said. He - or should I say she - wasn't happy about that."

The boys' laughter grew distant as the footsteps receded down the corridor. Albus was still crouching behind the tapestry, finally letting out the sneeze he'd been holding back. He used his sleeve to wipe his nose (_Mum would have kittens if she saw that_) and drew back the tapestry. What was it the boys had said? Something about a unicorn?

"Well, well, well, what have we got here? You must be young Mr Potter. I was hoping we would meet, actually."

* * *

><p>TBC...<p> 


End file.
